The Haunting of Bella Swan
by ericastwilight
Summary: Armed with some knowledge about all of the things that go bump in the night, a bag full of equipment, and three ghosts, paranormal investigator Edward Masen had seen and heard a lot since the day he died, but didn't stay dead. Nothing prepared him for her.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

* * *

Tanya Williams paced across her extravagant living room, waiting for help they desperately needed to arrive. Alec, her husband, was on the phone, having called the investigator shortly after the incident occurred. They'd been in continuous contact since then. The evidence of the event had spilled across an Oriental rug, the urn's ashes had sizzled and hissed only minutes before, turning into a black, tar-like substance.

For weeks, they'd been in denial, wanting to believe their perfect house was not haunted. Over the last few days, Tanya tried to remind herself it wasn't possible whenever she heard a bump, scream, or groan. There was no such thing as ghosts, spirits, or demons, she had told herself often. It was an old house, they expected the floors to creak, and the walls and pipes would groan as the season changed. The framed pictures had just fallen off the walls. It was not an angry, wayward spirit who had knocked them down.

Tanya stopped in front of the mirror in the foyer, the wide, gilded frame, a family heirloom her husband had inherited from his grandmother. Sleepless nights had taken a toll on her once perfect face, and blotchy cheeks greeted her in the mirror's reflection. The bags under her red-rimmed eyes had enough luggage for a month in Hawaii. The smile that had graced magazines and screens across the nation, appeared weathered and cracked. She could barely make out the color of her lips against her pale skin. She turned one way and then another, hating how much her strawberry blonde hair seemed dull and lifeless, her cheekbones more hallowed out than ever.

Her husband's voice rose an octave higher in the kitchen, catching her attention. She watched him in the mirror. Standing at just over six-feet-four, with dark brown hair and broad shoulders, her once handsome husband appeared to have aged ten years overnight.

Her first thought was, "What would the ladies at the club say?"

 _Strange,_ she thought. It wasn't like her to care about such things.

Laughter bubbled from between Tanya's pale lips, escaping as she realized she looked even worse than her husband. Her gaze returned to the mirror, watching the reflection as Alec walked around the kitchen island. Despite his less than stellar appearance, she loved his stride. He had confidence in spades, always had. It was what attracted her—well that, and his financial stability. They didn't need his family's old money though, because he was bona fide self-made millionaire.

Alec held up his hand to catch her attention, telling her that the ETA on their contact was less than five minutes out. She blew out a breath of relief, but choked back a comment and scrambled away from the mirror when she saw her face looking at her differently. In the mirror's reflection, she was holding a knife in one hand, slowly turning it from side to side. The blade appeared so real that it would catch the light overhead, the glint of steel turned blinding.

Tanya looked down at her own hand, questioning her own sanity. It was empty.

Her eyes snapped back to the mirror, and in it, she saw a knife on the butcher block start to shake, before it turned toward her husband. "Alec!" she screamed and ducked, turning in time to watch him do the same. The thwack of the knife hitting the wall behind him sounded like a gunshot as it reverberated around the room. They rose from the floor, each shaking as they scrambled to reach each other.

Despite the knife missing him, the blade embedded in the wall dripped with blood that seemed to glow. One drop, then two, landed on their pristine white marble, spreading out like veins and arteries, toward them, growing in mass.

Tanya clasped her husband's arm, her nails biting into his skin. "Tell him to get here now!"

Alec nodded and delivered the message through the phone he still held, his face turning ashen white at a disturbing sound. The rest of their cutlery started to rattle in every drawer and on the counter space. Not taking any chances, he grabbed his wife and ran. A blood-curdling scream seemed to chase them, a stench of decay not far behind.

.

.

.

Edward Masen's old truck idled in the driveway of the Williams Estate, his gaze on the fancy house before him. Lights flickered in all the windows, a shadow darting from one spot to another, as a scream or two drove the point home. It looked like it would be just another night in life of a paranormal investigator.

"Maybe I can keep the power on this month." Edward turned off the engine, grateful for some business. It wasn't often that ghosts decided to haunt the rich and famous. Most of the time, when he investigated a home, it was free. He lived off the subscribers and affiliates on his blog and YouTube channel, but it wasn't much. He hadn't posted anything new in months to keep subscribers coming, so it was time to pay the bills.

Edward walked around to the bed of his truck, grabbing his equipment, double-checking the extra batteries. He called out for his reinforcements. "Are any of you getting anything on who is haunting this place?"

Nothing scared Edward anymore, not since he realized he could see and hear the dead. It didn't bother him in the least when his long dead cousin, James, popped his head out from inside the truck, his body missing. His dull, ice blue eyes glared at him. "I ain't going in there, Edward. I'm stating that right now. Whatever is in there, it is pissed and thirsts for blood."

Yes, spirits fear other spirits.

"Thirsts for blood, eh? Then you shouldn't have problem. Besides, you say that about every investigation." Edward closed the tailgate and lifted one of the camera bags onto his shoulder. "I never would've guessed you were such a pussy." Edward's cousin rolled his eyes right of his transparent head, and Edward watched as they bounced around in the bed of his truck. "Cute."

James huffed as he appeared beside Edward a few seconds later, as he walked up the steps leading to the front door. It wasn't long until Mrs. Cope joined them, quiet as usual, her hands working two lethal knitting needles through some garnish green yarn. She'd been knitting when she passed, and hadn't stopped, even in death.

"What do you think, Shelly?" Edward asked, groaning at the weight of the equipment. The problem with only having ghosts help—there was nobody to help carry the bags.

"You're going to have your hands full. The dead wife is quite angry at the other woman in her home. Though, why she suddenly decided to act out now is unclear."

The Williams had been married for a while now.

"Fucking perfect," Edward said under his breath so his old grade school teacher wouldn't hear.

"Mr. Masen," she scolded in the same tone she used when he was only eight years old. "I advise you drop the gutter mouth and do something about that mess you call hair." She waved one of those needles toward his unruly sienna colored hair, and out of instinct, he ducked.

James' laughter made Edward's skin crawl, but he ignored it and knocked on the door.

 _Here we go._

* * *

 **AN: This fic is currently being edited and new updates will start once editing is complete. Thanks to kyla713 for all your help, I love you, bb.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

There was no answer to Edward's persistent knocking, and that meant trouble. In his world, trouble was dangerous.

"Maybe nobody's home." James' disembodied voice floated from Edward's left side. Whenever they faced vengeful spirits, his cousin went invisible. He was a bit of a coward, not that Edward blamed him.

James, and other spirits like him, sometimes controlled what humans could see and hear, unless someone had gifts similar to Edward. It had been five years since the accident and he had yet to meet anyone with his type of gift.

Edward knocked again.

James stuffed his eye into the socket in his gaunt face, taking a moment to roll it into place. "Yeah, nobody's here, let's go."

"Don't you hear the melody of screams inside?" Jane, a spirit that looked very much like one, decided to grace them with her presence.

Edward spared Jane a glance. She had died young but had no memory of her life, only her name. Of all the spirits that stuck beside Edward, she was the one he wanted to see at peace the most. Her almost childlike features reminded him of his cousin, Alice. She seemed so young, with a tiny bow mouth set in a round face. Her blonde hair, pulled in a severe, high ponytail was a sharp contrast, and made it hard to figure out exactly how old she'd been.

"Finally decided to join the living," Mrs. Cope stated primly, arching a slim gray eyebrow.

Jane's lips twitched into a wide smile, one that didn't fit her cherubic face. It was sinister in nature, as if she had the power to kill you with her mind. "You should try getting laid in the afterlife, Shelly." She laughed, causing another shudder to move through Edward.

High emotions in spirits always translated in some way onto the living.

Jane smirked, pretending to straighten out her clothes. "I guarantee you it'll take you to a whole new _spiritual_ level."

Mrs. Cope scoffed, her knitting project hanging in midair, still working. "As if anyone could handle all of me." She fluffed her hair with both hands, a tiny smile on her lips.

Edward rolled his eyes. Jane and Shelley fought as if they were related; a sort of grandmother/granddaughter thing that they seemed to love to do. Most of the time, he didn't mind the dynamic, unless it interfered with work.

A scream tore through the air—a human one. Edward shared a look with the others.

Jane gestured toward the door, pretending to do what she suggested next. "Kick it open, Chuck."

Standing back, Edward landed a hard kick between the double doors to the side of the handle. It groaned under the force but stood strong. Expensive sometimes did mean built to last. Another swift kick and nothing; it didn't budge much more than an inch.

Edward frowned. "Is _she_ keeping it locked?"

Jane shook her head. "I don't think so. Let me see if I can pop open the lock." She disappeared through the double doors.

Edward stood back as the doors started to rattle and groan under the weight of Jane's influence. They blew open, each of them hitting the walls and threatening to swing closed. His hand stopped one of the doors from hitting his face as he stepped inside.

"Tada," Jane teased, giving them her best Vanna White impersonation.

"You're such a pain in the ass." James followed as Edward walked inside, trying not to roll his eyes.

"You're just jealous you're not as hot as me." Jane popped James on the back of his head, forcing his eyes to fall out again.

"Damn it!" James cursed as he dropped to his knees to look for his missing eyes.

"Quiet," Edward demanded, his eyes taking in the chaos. The interior of the house was in shambles. He dropped the bags and grabbed a few items from inside one, intending to search the house for the occupants, living and dead.

There was no time to set up cameras. _Fuck, so much for paying the bills,_ Edward thought.

Jane whistled a high-pitched sound that sent chills down Edward's spine. "She's pissed."

Edward agreed. It appeared as if a tornado had blown through the foyer and main living room, clear into the kitchen. A clear path of destruction had ravished even the wood floor, leaving deep gouges. Two couches, a coffee table, and lamps lay on their sides, several pieces stacked all the way to the ceiling. Forks, knives, and even spoons were embedded in wood molding, cabinets, and walls. Over a sizable fireplace, a painting on the wall tilted to one side, slashes ripped through the canvas.

Ghosts had limited energy most of the time, but some figured out how to pull it from their environment and from the people within the walls of a home. Armed with power, they had the potential to become dangerous.

Edward had learned a lot in the five years since the accident that had claimed James' life and gave him the ability to communicate with the dead. Yet, there was still much more he didn't know.

"Alec!" A woman's scream seemed to come from all around them.

Edward recognized the name of his client, running toward the voice. He needed to announce himself in case Alec and his wife had armed themselves. "Mr. and Mrs. Williams," Edward said as he slowly approached the room the voice had come from. "I'm Edward Masen, you called me for help."

James hummed the Ghostbusters theme song somewhere behind him, Jane joining him in the chorus. Shelly simply continued to knit but kept one eye on the door.

"Good help is so hard to find." Jane floated ahead. "Let me see if I can find them." She usually scouted the area for Edward, giving him time and precious information he'd need to prepare for whatever waited for him.

After a minute, Edward started to worry. It wasn't long before he realized what had happened as he opened the door. The master bedroom was a disaster. Everything not a permanent fixture was in pieces, and those that had been, hung loosely on exposed electrical wires.

Jane stood in the middle of the chaos, staring at what appeared to be a walk-in closet, where Edward's clients had likely hidden.

"What is it?" Edward asked, crossing the threshold of the bedroom. The second he did, a blast of wind nearly tossed him off his feet. His hand grabbed a hold of the doorframe for support, calling out for Jane.

Jane's eyes appeared different, softer than he'd ever seen him. "I remember him."

"Who? The husband?" Edward cautiously stepped into the room.

She nodded. "He's my brother."

.

.

.

 _Meanwhile across town_

"I told you, Detective…" The woman Detective Riley Biers brought in for questioning, leaned closer to read his badge. "Biers, I happened to be hiking in the area when I came across the body."

Dark, long hair, a slender body, pale skin, and a mouth to die for, she appeared too innocent to the detective. Yet, there was something in her whiskey-brown gaze indicating that she'd seen a lot. There was no mistaking the wisdom behind her eyes, despite her age.

Riley moved away from her, uncomfortable for the first time in the room. He carelessly tossed the folder he'd brought in on the table. The woman flinched as he expected, and put as much distance between her body and pictures spilling out across the table.

Bodies tended to pile up around her and he needed to know why.

"Do you know what is in this file?"

Her eyes fell on her lap, her slim fingers fidgeting and twisting. Slowly, she lifted her head to look at him, the once soft, pink mouth thinned. She looked almost angry. It was gone in the blink of an eye, making him believe it hadn't even happened. It clearly had been too many long shifts in a row when her report caught his eye and his boss asked for a favor.

"You have a file on me." The accusation was deeply embedded in her tone. The wide eyes started to glaze over with unshed tears. "I don't understand. I'm not responsible for their deaths! I just happen to find the bodies!"

Her hand pressed against her chest as it started to rise and fall too fast, heading toward panic. "Don't put me in a cell, please."

He tried to say something, but clearly, she wasn't ready to listen.

"Where's Detective Clearwater? Leah? They'll tell you that I'm the unluckiest person ever. I didn't kill any of them and a few of those were not murders."

The woman thrust her shaking finger toward one of the photos, sliding it away from her. She had found the body a mile off a well-known hiking trail a few days after the investment banker had gone missing. The examiner said the man died from natural causes.

Riley hardened his heart, he had to in the face of those beautiful, tear-filled eyes. He needed answers. "I'd consider it a coincidence if you had _found_ one or two bodies, but twenty-five in the last three years?"

She pouted for a moment as long, inky lashes fluttered. "Twenty-six, with the John Doe I stumbled on this morning."

Riley cocked an eyebrow. "Again, that is far too many to be a coincidence." That time, he did lean toward her, entranced by her perfume, something delicate with a hint of spice. "You can tell me."

Her eyes flashed toward the two-way mirror, glaring at it. There was no possible way for her to know that someone was listening. After a moment, something close to defeat filled her eyes.

Her attention turned to him again, a slow exhale releasing the tension in her shoulders. "What do you want to know?"

"How do you find them?"

She folded her arms over her chest, keeping her eyes on him, disarming him. The panic attack she seemingly had earlier was now gone. Was it an act? The tears seemed real enough. "Ms. Swan?"

"They tell me where their bodies are."

His heartrate picked up and his hands wanted to shake, but he beat back the thread of fear. "Who does?"

"The dead, Ribee."

Riley's heart seemed to stutter to a stop, only to pick up at an alarming rate within a few beats. "How do you know my nickname?" Not even his most trusted friends knew it.

"Your dead sister told me."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

* * *

After Jane's confession, Edward watched as she disappeared, using ample energy to hide from him. The hair along his arms stood, a shiver crawling down his spine. Jane wouldn't come out of hiding until she was ready. The question was would she follow Edward or remain with her brother?

Edward never understood why she attached herself to him on that dark road after the accident.

"Mr. Masen," Alec said through the thick door. "Is that you?"

Edward's instinct to go after Jane pulled at him, but it would have to wait until later. "Yes, Mr. Williams, it's safe for now." He had grabbed an EMF detector earlier in case the dead wife tried to make another appearance once the couple came out of hiding.

After another look around the bedroom and down the hall, it was safe to say the spirit had used most of her energy to conjure such destruction. It would take a while before she could do more, but not long.

The couple in the closet argued on whether they could trust that it was Edward and open the door. He didn't blame them for being cautious, considering the amount of damage around him. Time, however, was not on their side. It was imperative that they leave the house, at least for his initial assessment.

Though he worried the activity would cease if the spirit attached itself to one of the inhabitants. It was a possibility he'd have to risk. He needed money, but not at the expense of someone's life or well-being.

"I think the spirit wore itself out," Edward said aloud. He looked at James and Shelly, both equally intrigued by their new client.

Jane had been with Edward since the day his uncle revived him on the side of a midnight road. James and Shelly attached themselves shortly after at the hospital, where they had died. Edward heard the clicks of three deadbolts, drawing his attention to the closet doors.

Mr. Williams poked his head out, looking relieved to find Edward alone in the bedroom. The problem was that he was never truly alone.

"Is it safe?" Mr. Williams asked.

Edward offered him a small nod. "For now, it's best to have a talk with you and your wife, and then have you leave." He pulled out a notepad and a pen since powerful spirits had a habit of toying with his smartphone during his investigations. "Come on out, Mrs. Williams. The faster we talk the sooner you get to leave."

The woman walked out of the closet in angry strides, slowly turning in the middle of the once magazine-worthy bedroom. A disheveled, gaunt face with dull eyes turned toward him, desperation roughened her voice. "No one will believe us. What are we supposed to say happened here?"

"You can't exactly tell your insurance company that a ghost did all this." Edward shrugged. "What we need right now are answers. Answers as to why this is happening to you."

Alec hugged his wife, whispering in her ear until she relaxed.

Edward watched the couple carefully and realized their feelings for each other were genuine. If that was the case, why was his late wife haunting them? According to Alec, during their first phone call, she passed about five years earlier. What had caused her to act out after so long?

After introductions, they straightened a few pieces of furniture to sit and talk, after he had them pack an overnight bag. Very little had survived the destruction.

The chipped teacup in Tanya's hand shook with every sip of herbal tea she took. She was far from the picture-perfect woman she had been the year before. According to the latest entertainment articles, when Tanya and Alec had married, she decided to stay home and focus on raising a family.

"I asked your husband earlier if he had lost anyone, and he said other than his late wife," Edward started, flipping a page to find the name. "His late wife, Irina, and his grandparents that passed years ago, he's had no recent losses in his life. Have you lost anyone recently?"

Tanya shook her head, staring blankly straight ahead. "My parents died when I was a child and my aunt watched over me. She died years ago as well, though." Her eyes, once a vibrant blue, filled up with tears. "Other than Alec, I have no family."

" _Oh boo-hoo_ ," a voice hissed in Edward's ear as the spirit flickered nearby. He did his best not to react to her presence. As Alec's late wife told him her version of her once perfect marriage to him, she sounded spiteful and snobby. "She even looks like me," she stated in a nonsense tone, sounding bored.

Edward watched as the spirit circled Alec and Tanya, at first indistinct, somewhat shadowy. She took shape after another minute, her full, ruby lips thinned, as she listened to Alec's current wife explain where most of the action occurred, the master suite.

"You mentioned on the phone that you've had some renovations done." Edward looked at his notes to confirm.

"Yes, shortly after moving in, we ripped out all the flooring. I hated the kitchen, tore down a few walls for a more open feel and look. The same for the master bedroom, we knocked down a wall from another bedroom for more space." Tanya's eyes widened. "The work triggered the spiritual activity, didn't it? I read that somewhere."

"It might be coincidental that the first incident happened shortly after work started, but there's also a chance you've had other occurrences before that. You simply chose to believe it was nothing, or just brushed it off."

It wouldn't be the first time a client did that, or the last.

"That could be true," Alec said. "It wasn't even the second night here that I swore I left my keys on the table near the entrance. I went crazy looking for them and found them in the fridge. I'd never done that before."

" _Liar, liar, maybe I should light his pants on fire_." Edward turned his glare to the ghost dressed in a stylish dress, sitting on the armrest beside her husband. " _Don't look at me like that, it's my house. Ask him, I bet she won't like that he was supposed to buy this house for me when we were married._ "

"Edward," Alec said, gaining his attention again. "Are you getting something?" He pointed at the headphones Edward wore.

Edward learned years before not to tell anyone how connected he was to spirits. He gave his clients a vague impression that he was sensitive to ghosts and stated that the equipment he used allowed him to pick up things clearer than most.

"I'm getting something from a woman." Edward fiddled with the digital recorder. It was all an act. "But it's not on the recording."

Alec and Tanya looked defeated.

"I have a couple more questions, then you two can leave. She said something about the house. Was this the only time you considered buying this house?"

Tanya's eyebrows shot up, her gaze turning to her husband. "What is he talking about?" Alec had gone pale, his eyes clenching tight. "Tell me we didn't move into the same house Irina wanted?"

Edward had to ask. "You knew her?" If Alec and Tanya had an affair, it would explain why his ex-wife seemed to loathe her.

"No, I met Alec a few years after she died."

Edward looked at Alec. "How did your ex-wife pass?"

"Overdose. I had no idea Irina was even using drugs until I saw massive withdrawals from our bank and credit cards. I tried to get her help, cut her off financially, even suggested buying a new house after she finished rehab, to start over."

" _Liar!"_ Irina screamed, her hand swiping at Alec with ragged nails.

Alec hissed, flinching away from the armrest. His palm touched the side of his face, asking if he had anything there.

Edward was surprised to find a few scratches there. Irina was strong, which was not a good thing.

"I'm afraid your late wife is not happy that you chose this house," Edward said, closing his notebook. He had enough information, but then, there were still unanswered questions about Jane. "She's insisting you're a liar and that your new wife looks like her."

Tanya didn't look like her to Edward, but spirits weren't always the most reasonable.

"Other than her hair color, no," Alec said, rising to his feet. "The house wasn't on the market when Irina and I were considering a new home, but we had seen it, and she'd wanted it. I made an offer the previous owners couldn't refuse. Irina died before it closed escrow, shortly after her stint in rehab. I let it go. Look, Mr. Masen, I loved Irina, but that wasn't enough for her."

Alec turned back to Tanya on a chair, kneeling in front of her and capturing her hands. She seemed wary, hurt by what she learned that night.

"I swear when we walked by the house that day and you said it was perfect, I hadn't even remembered it was the same one. I tried so hard to put all that behind me, you know that. You were so happy when they accepted the offer, and by then, I knew it was the same house, but I couldn't break your heart."

"Okay," Tanya whispered, curling her hands around her husband's. "Can we just go?" A few tears started to fall from her eyes. "I don't care about the house anymore. I know what she did to you, Alec, how much she hurt you and your family."

"There's more?"

Alec nodded as he helped his wife up to her feet. "The police believe Irina was behind my sister's disappearance."

James and Shelly had remained nearby, within Edward's peripheral vision. They turned to each other and then to Edward, slowly disappearing. They were going to try looking for Jane.

"Was your sister Jane?" Edward picked up the recorder and stood up, too.

Alec nodded, pulling out his wallet to hand over a picture. "She was my twin sister. Irina grew up next door, and the three of us were inseparable. Jane and Irina went everywhere together, even a spring break I couldn't get off to join them."

He looked at his wife, anguish in his dull eyes. "I think something happened there because Jane was never the same after coming back from that trip. She disappeared shortly after we graduated about ten years ago. Police treated her case as a runaway, but we never saw her again. There were a few scattered tips called in of her popping up all over the country, but eventually, they stopped, too."

"Is Jane here?" Tanya asked.

Edward wasn't ready to answer that kind of question. "I'm not sure."

Alec looked angry, holding his arms out on each side of his body. "As if everything you've done wasn't enough, now you have to haunt me and my wife. We did nothing to hurt you, Irina. This is _our_ house, not yours!"

The change in Irina was nearly instantaneous; she'd gone from a beautiful, spiteful spirit, to one that resembled something from a horror movie. A gaunt face, sunken eyes, so thin, she looked like nothing but skin and bones. Her clothes hung limply on her body, the designer label gone. A scream tore through her, chilling Edward bone deep.

The room dropped in temperature by at least ten degrees, the lighting fixture overhead popped two lightbulbs sending sparks toward them. Tanya screamed as Alec used his body to protect her.

"Time to go, she's not happy. Let me walk you out." Edward followed the couple out the door and onto the driveway after getting the access codes to the alarm system. "I'll return in an hour, I need to grab a few more things at home, and pick up a few friends to help." He looked over his shoulder, not surprised to find that Irina couldn't follow him. She only had power while in the house. "Is there anything in the house that could be tied to her?"

It took Alec a moment to think. "The red painting in the hallway was hers. It was the only thing I kept, since it's valuable."

"I'll have to burn it."

Alec winced but nodded.

"I'll check in with you two in the morning."

.

.

.

After spending hours with Detective Biers, the real reason behind the questioning became apparent. They wanted a "medium" to work on more difficult cases. To check Bella's credibility and ability, they used Biers, a man positive his sister was haunting him.

She confirmed it.

The consulting fee would at least pad her bank accounts. It would make things easier whenever she had to report something, too. There was always a body somewhere, needing someone to find it.

Bella took a moment to check the navigation app on her phone as she drove. It wasn't leading her to where she wanted to go. Exhaustion had her pulling to the right too much, but she corrected herself in time. She was lucky there didn't seem to be a lot of traffic. Not one car had passed her in the last ten minutes.

She was housesitting for a friend of a friend; it hardly helped that she was late. The couple had said they'd leave instructions and the keys with their neighbors, The Williams, the ones who recommended her.

Her phone brightened for a moment, but she almost dropped it when a colorless face seemed to jump out of the screen before it went completely black. She cursed and tossed it on the passenger seat, returning her attention to the road. She hoped something hadn't attached to her while she was at the station.

 _It's too late_ , something whispered in her thoughts. A pair of headlights came barreling toward her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

* * *

The bright headlights cut off Bella's vision, but she hit the horn hard once. The shoulder on her right was nearly nonexistent on the stretch of road. If the car swerved anymore to the right and she'd fall thirty-five feet into a ravine. The headlights barreling toward her swung to one side, away from her, so she compensated a bit and stomped on the pedal.

The squeal of brakes tore through the night as the scent of burned rubber assaulted her nose. Her car came to a shuddering stop, her head tapping against the steering wheel. Thankfully, not hard enough for the airbag to go off.

The driver and the passengers of the behemoth appeared as startled as she was, but she didn't get a good impression of them. They looked fuzzy to her, so she shook her head to clear away the haze. She was lucky she had slowed down when she realized she was lost, or else she'd have a face full of airbag.

It took a few moments to reorient herself, her heart still pounding a heavy beat in her chest. She hadn't heard metal crunching.

Maybe they didn't hit each other? Was the other driver okay?

She rubbed her face and finally looked up to find how close it had been. Their side mirrors were less than a couple of inches apart, though his was higher. It was clear if she hadn't corrected slightly, she'd be sitting on driver's lap, probably bloody and in pieces.

"That's awfully imaginative," the other driver said, having rolled down his window like she absently had done.

Had she said that aloud?

"Are you all right?" the other driver asked her.

She patted herself down again and nodded. "I think so. Are you okay?" She craned her neck to see the rest of his passengers. "What happened to the others?"

He appeared confused for a second. "I think I'm all right, but it's only me."

Now she was confused, she swore she'd seen two others in her truck, an older woman with gray hair and a man about the driver's age with dark blond hair. Her lips thinned and she realized what probably happened. The others she'd seen had to be spirits attached to him and he had no idea. Would he want to know?

She had to handle the situation delicately and try not to show she could see them if they decided to make another appearance.

The man pulled off a black beanie and used it to stem the light flow of blood under a wealth of copper-brown hair. He hit the steering wheel harder than she had, but his was mostly metal. _Ouch._

She checked her own head, finding a trickle of blood. A three-day old cut had reopened, but otherwise, she felt fine.

The driver of the tank looked out of his window, his eyes skimming over her car. He whistled and appeared surprised at how close it had been. "The car looks all right, but you blew a tire. Can you get out? Wait, maybe you shouldn't move."

She tried to open her door, but there wasn't enough space between them.

"Don't move," he suggested, restarting his truck. "I'm just going to get off the road."

She watched helplessly as he turned to look over his shoulder, praying he wouldn't leave her in the dark, on the side of the road. Changing a tire was no problem, but it was what came out of the dark that could be. Whenever she was alone, on a night like that, she never felt more exposed. A sharp exhale escaped her when he only pulled his truck to the shoulder.

He ran over and asked her to put on her emergency hazard lights. She did as he asked, watching him move around in the dark with ease.

Taking a moment to search the area, Bella found that the spirits hadn't stuck around. Were they afraid of her? It wouldn't be the first time.

Her door opened as the driver from the truck leaned in to look at her. A pair of amazing green eyes looked genuinely concerned. His hand brushed some of her hair away from her forehead, making her wince. The cut wasn't deep, but it would take some time to heal.

"It looks like it already stopped bleeding," he said, pulling out his cell phone from the inner pocket of his leather jacket. "I can't get a signal. Do you have a phone?"

She had to shake her head since something about his voice sent her into a daze. Maybe she hit her head harder than she thought. She fumbled with her phone after she managed to grab it with shaky hands from the floor, having to crawl over the console to get it. A series of cracks started from one corner and across the entire screen, almost resembling a face. She couldn't help the shiver that moved through her, remembering what she'd seen in her phone earlier.

She touched the screen, surprised to find it still working. "Not one bar," she said, taking his offered hand and crawling over the central console again. Her sweater was gaping open, her breasts practically on display, but she ignored the usual embarrassment. He steadied her for a few seconds once she was on the road.

His touch was welcomed, a first in a while. "Um, hi, mind telling me why you almost killed me?"

The man winced as he pulled away, checking his cut and shrugging. "I thought I'd seen something. Nice car." He held out his hand and waited.

 _Nice deflection,_ she thought.

"I'm Edward." She shook his hand and told him her name. "Other than the tire, your car looks fine. You might want to have your brakes checked in case you burned through them."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Mind if I check?" He seemed amused by her concern, only gesturing toward the car. It seemed silly to be worried about it, but it was her baby. The one indulgence she got using the money from her grandmother's life insurance. She placed her hand on the dark blue hood of her new Audi and followed the curve until she reached the driver's side door. Examining it with a critical eye, she didn't find any new scratches on it.

Luck was on her side.

The man cleared his throat. She looked up in time to see his face turn a little red as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe I should leave you two alone," he said with a chuckle.

She rolled her eyes at the tone of his voice. "Sorry, I'm worried about my car, when I should be concerned about you." _I'm an asshole._

He grinned when she blushed. "It's fine. Personally, if I had as nice as car as yours, a part of me would be, 'not my baby'." His laugh was incredible and she tried hard not to stare.

"Sorry anyway," she said, kneeling by the front tire. There was a slash one side. "What did you see on the road?"

Had it been the spirits in the truck with him? Maybe it had only been a deer. Either way, she had to keep her mouth shut about what she'd seen, unless the spirits made another appearance.

"Uh, not sure," he said, squatting down beside her. "I can help with your tire if you have a spare."

She looked at him, struck stupid again by his face. Thick lashes and eyebrows made the color of his eyes pop. The angles of his jaw and cheekbones would put most male models to shame, but with the five o'clock scruff, it added the right touch of ruggedness she liked in a man.

 _Stop staring, Bella. You don't have time for this._

"Yeah, there's a compartment in the trunk with one inside." She stood up again on shaky legs, and offered him a soft "thanks" when he steadied her. After popping open the trunk, he insisted on getting out the tire. "I'll grab the tire iron."

"Again, I'm sorry about that." He pointed to the knot that formed on her forehead. "It's crazy how only a couple seconds can change everything."

Bella agreed, her eyes scanning the area again. She felt a presence nearby—more than one, actually. They weren't showing their faces, though. For a few minutes, they worked to get the stubborn blown tire off and replace it with the spare.

"Where were you headed?" he asked, rising to his feet and dusting off his knees when they finished. He offered his hand to help her to her feet. Dressed in simple black jeans and a grey t-shirt, she only gaped like an idiot at his arms. Defined muscles and the hint of ink under his sleeve, a crest of some kind, caught her eye. "Bella?"

"I'm looking for Crescent Estates." She questioned on how much to tell him. It was never smart to tell someone you'd be alone in a house for several days. "I'm staying with friends in the area."

She waited for him to say something, but he seemed as dazed as she did earlier. Maybe he hit his head too hard.

Edward looked away, sensing James and Shelley. How did the night go to shit so fast? First Jane had disappeared, and not even Shelley and James could find her earlier. They'd always been good at pinpointing her location. It was the only reason he left Alec and Tanya's house.

For a split second, he thought he'd seen Jane running alongside the road, looking more like a wraith than a girl. It distracted him enough that he almost killed someone. He looked at Bella again, grimacing at the bruise already turning her pale skin purple along her brow. She didn't look more than twenty, maybe twenty-two. Young, pretty with long, dark hair that nearly reached the middle of her back, accompanied by tempting curves. Her soft, pink mouth proved to be another distraction. When was the last time he thought of a woman like that? Thankfully, he'd sent Shelley and James to find Jane again or else he'd never hear the end of it.

It was hard to form a relationship when spirits surrounded you, much less have sex with your dead cousin and grade school teacher lingering around. He hadn't tried again in years.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, lifting a hand to check his forehead. He had to bend down for her to see, since the top of her head barely reached his chin. She tested the area around the small cut with the tip of her finger, making him flinch.

"Ow!" He frowned but smiled at her soft giggle that she couldn't contain.

The sound of an inhuman, mournful cry came from deep within the tree line behind them. His head snapped toward the direction of the scream, and he desperately wanted to call out to the others. Had they found Jane? He returned his attention to Bella, wanting to know if she heard it. She was pulling out some tissue from her jacket pocket to wipe away some of the blood on his cut. There was no indication she had heard Jane scream. He had to get out of there and find her.

"Look, why don't we exchange information? I'd like to at least check on you and I can pay for the new tire." He'd find a way to pay for it, probably drain what little savings he had or charge it, but it was worth it. She looked thoughtful for a moment, but finally handed him her phone. He added his number and called his phone, pulling it out to show her it was real. "I expect a call as soon as you find out how much."

"Sounds good to me," she said, slipping inside her car. "It won't be until tomorrow afternoon, though. I'm too tired. Once I get to my friend's house, I'll probably sleep like the dead." She cocked an eyebrow as if she waited for something, but when he said nothing, she only shook her head. "Thanks again for helping with the tire. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Edward waited until he could no longer see the red taillights as she drove away. He turned toward his truck to grab a flashlight, determined to find Jane.

.

.

.

Bella entered the house, immediately pressing the security code into the panel by the door. The Parkers had left a message on her voicemail while she was with Edward. They told her the key was under a rock near the front door, and gave her the codes since their neighbors hadn't been home to leave the information. She tossed her bag on the couch nearby, her stomach growling. She hadn't eaten in hours. As she walked through the house to familiarize herself, she turned on all the lights, falling in love with the kitchen and all the fancy appliances.

Opening the fridge, she found a carton of eggs and few other ingredients to make an omelet. The Parkers said she could help herself to anything. Behind her, the temperature of the room fell several degrees. She shuddered and exhaled in surprise, her breath a small cloud of fog spilling from her lips.

Bracing herself, she turned to face the presence. Sitting on the counter, her slim-white legs folded under her, a pale girl of about eighteen to twenty years of age smiled.

"How long has Edward been seeing ghosts?" Bella asked, giving no indication that she was scared. It was never smart to show fear to a ghost, most thrived on it.

"Long enough," the girl said as she tilted her chin up, her pale blonde hair in a high ponytail. It aged her, and she wasn't sure how old the girl had been when she died. "You?"

"Since the day I was born." Her answer seemed to satisfy the girl. "I can hear and see them."

The girl's laughter made the hair on her arms stand. "You can do more than that."

Bella only shrugged, but the girl's perception spot on. "What's your name?"

"Jane." The girl smiled and laughed, the sound almost inhumane until it turned into a sob. Deep blue eyes implored her. "We need your help."

"I'll do what I can." Bella continued to work on her food, needing a distraction. "What do you need?"

"I need you to help stop the bitch haunting my brother." For every word Jane said, the gaunter her features became. A spider web of dark veins covered one side of her face, spreading down her chest. If the hate inside Jane continued to consume her, any humanity left would disappear along with her soul.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

* * *

"Was it you on my phone earlier?" Bella looked up from her plate, her eyes landing on the pale figure gliding across the kitchen floor.

Jane came to a stop and Bella turned to look at her. Something in her smile was apologetic about scaring Bella, but there was a tinge of malevolence within it as well. Jane loved that she was able to manipulate her phone—not an easy feat for spirits. They proved more difficult than lighting and appliances. It also meant Jane had been dead for a while.

Jane's manipulation explained a few things. "You're the reason we didn't have a signal to call for a help, but he was able to call his phone when we exchanged numbers."

The girl shrugged. "Once I figured out you were the one that others talk about, I knew you could help. I had to make sure Edward would recognize your number if you called."

That made sense; if someone called her from an unrecognizable number, she never answered, allowing it to go straight to voicemail instead. Edward probably did the same thing.

"What have you heard about me?" It didn't surprise her that, even after death, people still loved to gossip.

"Some avoid you at all costs, others seek you out," Jane replied, resuming her pace-like pattern of floating.

"The spirits that are unsure of what lies past the light or dark do fear me, while those who are ready, find me."

"You have a reputation, a badass one." Jane looked wistful, but suddenly, she was in Bella's face. The excitement and curiosity in her eyes brightened them considerably, but what Bella noticed the most was the difference in her face. The black spider web-like veins had receded, but not completely. "Can I see them?"

"See what?" Bella asked, slowly running her eyes over what she could see of Jane. Other than the tips of her fingers and face, nothing else had darkened. There was still hope in saving her soul.

"Come on," Jane whined, making the lights in the house flicker several times. "You know what I'm talking about. Is it true?"

Deciding it was best to indulge her than risking the lights of the home owners, she pulled up the sleeves of her shirt. Jane hovered and Bella couldn't help but shiver. Having her so close made her internal temperature plummet and her mind nearly seized due to the bombardment of new information.

"Back off, Jane," she hissed, straightening her shoulders. The girl appeared apologetic, doing what Bella asked, waiting. It took Bella a moment to gather herself, trying not to react to what she'd seen of Jane's memories in her mind moments before.

"Are you okay?"

Bella nodded and held out her wrists. They appeared normal; a few blue veins formed a lopsided 'y' and disappeared up her arm, only to reappear in the crook of her elbow.

"I don't see anything," Jane said, her lips thinning. Disappointment and anger put an edge on her voice, a black crack starting to form at the corner of her mouth.

Bella didn't allow her to stew, and replied, "Come a little closer."

The moment Jane complied, Bella's whole body charged with energy, as intricate marks glowed brilliant white on her skin. The markings started to circle each wrist, slowly moving until both ends met. For a few moments, they changed colors, from white to blue, and then to black.

"Whoa." Jane stepped away and watched as the markings started to diminish. "That's fucking crazy. What do they mean?"

Feeling self-conscious, Bella pulled down the sleeve to cover up the strange tattoos. "I don't know."

Something caught Jane's attention; though what, Bella wasn't sure. Jane slowly faded away. "I'll be back."

"No! Don't go back there, Jane!" Bella cried out, but it was too late. If Jane returned to wherever the bitch she spoke of was haunting her brother, it would only make things so much worse for her.

.

.

.

Over an hour had passed since Edward had last seen or heard from Jane. James and Shelley had returned from his house and told him she hadn't been there. Jane had a tendency to fuck with his shit if she was upset. She hadn't left any trace that she returned home.

Edward had little choice but to return to the Williams' house. He had a job to do and needed to get some answers from the spirit that was haunting Alec. His truck shuddered to a stop after he shut off the engine. He'd have to call his friend Jake to come over and replace the starter soon. It was giving him trouble and he couldn't afford his truck stranding him in the middle of nowhere.

He started toward the steps and saw that the house next door had almost every light on, which couldn't be right since Alec had said the neighbors were traveling. At the time, Edward thought it was a blessing in disguise, ridding a ghost from a home could be noisy.

"Maybe it's a security measure," he mused and ran up the stairs to the front door. Something made him still, his eyes on the car in the neighbor's driveway—a dark blue Audi. "No fucking way."

What were the chances that it was her staying there? He wanted to ask Shelley or James to check if it was Bella, but considering that she'd seen the others when they almost crashed earlier, he didn't want to scare her. A near-death experience could explain why she'd seen them, but she hadn't heard Jane. It didn't seem permanent.

"Jane is here," James said, disappearing through the front door. Shelley was quick to follow, leaving Edward to fumble with opening it. He ran toward the chaotic living room, forgetting one crucial thing in his haste to reach the others—the alarm.

In the living room, James and Shelley stood still, only half of their bodies visible, making them appear more like the ghosts he'd read about in books.

Jane sat on the elaborate mantel over the huge fireplace, her legs crossed at her ankles. Several of the items that had survived the rampage from Alec's late wife were on the floor, shattered. Her pale white skin was nothing new, but it caused the inky black cracks on it to contrast sharply. They seemed to start from her chest, spreading out like fingers along one side of her neck, over her jaw, and cheek.

"Jane," he whispered, noticing his breath billow out like smoke. The temperature had dropped considerably, and when Jane lifted her gaze to meet his, he forced himself not to react. One of her eyes was the usual shade of blue, but duller than ever. The other one concerned him more. The entire eye was black, not a spot of blue or white, and tiny spider web veins seemed to bleed out like tear tracks underneath it.

Whatever Jane remembered, it was clear it made her as big a threat as Alec's late wife.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

* * *

Bella wrestled with the idea of chasing after Jane. She wasn't the type to go looking for trouble, since it inevitably found her. Fighting the growing hate and anger inside a spirit wasn't easy, but she'd faced such odds before, and won. The last ghost on the brink of becoming something _other_ was far worse than Jane was so far, and she managed to help save his soul.

She debated for a couple of seconds, then secured the alarm and ran out the front door. Her extra sense, along with the others, converged to help her follow the trail Jane left behind. It was similar to an aura that some people claimed to see. Every spirit had an essence of sorts, each one unique and served as a spiritual thumbprint for Bella to follow. Some could hide if they'd been dead for a long time, but in some cases, anger and hate made abilities manifest faster.

"Jane, where are you?" Bella asked in a whisper when she lost the trail at the end of the driveway. She cursed and allowed her gift to take over, opening her mind further to the other side. Unfortunately, it also painted a big fucking bullseye on her back. Anything like Jane, or worse, would know she was close. For some, it was too close. They could lash out at her, fearing that she was there to send them away.

A flicker of lights caught Bella's attention and she whirled around to find the source. It seemed to come from the neighboring house. It belonged to the Williams, a couple she had watched their house for the previous year. Alec and Tanya were a lovely couple, she'd even taught yoga at the gym Tanya frequented. The presence she felt while housesitting hadn't given any indication of malice, though never showed his or her face.

All the lighting on the bottom floor seemed to be on, growing brighter, but then quickly dimming, only to start all over again. Something had changed. She cursed herself for not following up with Alec and Tanya, but at the time, she was dealing with a serial killer, who wasn't taking a premature death well.

She made her way up the driveway at a slow pace, not wanting to surprise whatever was in there. Spirits, good or bad, hated surprises, and vengeful ones loathed her.

As she passed the familiar truck parked under the large covered patio, alarms went up in her head. What were the chances that the man she met with similar abilities would be next door from where she was staying? Forces of some kind seemed determined to bring them together. The questions of who, what, and why, were what concerned her the most. It would have to wait until she dealt with Jane and the spirit attached to Alec.

Bella followed Jane's trail to the front door and a look around indicated another two spirits had followed her. Were they the same ones she'd seen with Edward? There was only way to find out. An obnoxious alarm startled her, causing her heart to pound in her chest.

She ran inside the house, finding the door unlocked. "Damn it, Edward," she hissed. "The last thing we need is the police here." She paused at the security panel near the front entrance and put in the code Tanya had given her eleven months earlier. It still worked. Edward watched her with wide, confused eyes, as she made her way to the phone in the foyer, and answered it the second it started to ring.

"Yeah, sorry, this is Bella Swan and I'm housesitting for the Williams again," she answered the rep for the security company. Holding up her hand, she silently asked Edward to wait, as he seemed about to demand answers from her. With a glance behind him, she could see he was alone, at least in the normal sense. Paranormally speaking, two spirits floated nearby, the same ones she'd seen in his truck. They didn't look as shocked as Edward seemed to be. "Sure, it's badger pass," she answered one of the security questions and continued with the other two. She held her hand over the mouthpiece of the cordless phone and asked Edward, "Are Tanya and Alec available by their cell phones?"

He only nodded in response, folding his arms over his chest and staring her down. She turned away to finish the call with the security company, mentally preparing herself for questions.

"Mind telling me what the fuck is going on?" Straight to the point—she liked that.

Wednesdays were supposed to be hump days, but no, she was in the middle of a house filled with confused and pissed off spirits. There was also no forgetting the hot, angry, and confused man.

She turned, waving with her fingers at the trio, and said, "Hi, Edward, James and Shelley. I didn't think we'd see each other so soon." She watched as Edward's mouth fell open. Most reacted the same way to her, though they were usually dead.

Edward's thoughts were racing and it made him sick to his stomach at the thought that Bella could see ghosts. He wouldn't want that for his worst enemy. Some people were relatively perceptive of the supernatural, while others flat out felt or saw nothing. Earlier, he was sure Bella had gotten a glimpse of his dead companions, but only during that brief moment that she almost could've died. Near death experiences had that effect on some people.

"You can see them?" he inquired, feeling stupid that he'd asked the obvious. To be fair, in the five years since he'd started seeing ghosts, he had never met anyone with even close to the same level of perception he had. "Earlier, you couldn't hear Jane." He shook his head, confused. "You _did_ hear Jane."

She pursed her lips and seemed indecisive for several seconds. "I've been like this for as long as I can remember, and I've learned to not react to their voices."

"You can tell the difference between their voices and humans?"

She nodded. "I've learned to tell the difference, yes." Her gaze fell to the floor, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. "Back off!" She swirled around, her long hair moving around her, wild and untamed. He hadn't noticed earlier that the tips were in various colors, ranging from purple to pink.

 _I'm noticing her hair when she can clearly see ghosts. I need to get a grip on my priorities._

Edward held up his hands in defense. "Whoa, lady, you just came running in here. _You_ back off."

Bella sent him a glare that had him taking a step back. There was a whole lot of "don't fuck with me" in her eyes. "I'm not talking to you."

From where Edward stood, he could see something walk around her. It was indistinct, translucent, but every time it shifted, the edges of it would distort the background. It was taller than Bella, a bit wider, too.

"Fuck," Bella whispered, closing her eyes and swaying. "Stop, Irina!" Veins started to pop out in her forehead and neck, her arms seemed pinned to her sides. Her gaze snapped to meet his again. "Get Jane out of here!"

"I'm not going anywhere as long as that bitch is here." The voice came from behind him, and it made the hair on his arms and the back of his neck stand on end. A chill crawled up his spine like icy fingers, gripping his heart.

Jane had disappeared when the alarm rang earlier, and Edward turned in time to see her walk through the large leather ottoman in the living room. Nothing was left of her once blue eyes. The black he'd seen in one before had completely taken over the other. As she passed him, she looked like a broken doll made of china, white skin with dark cracks marring her previously beautiful features.

"James, Shelley, get her out!" Bella screamed again, her head tilted up to the ceiling. Her hair flew around as if caught in some wind tunnel.

Still confused by what was happening, Edward watched as James and Shelley grabbed a kicking and screaming Jane by the arms. They disappeared through the front door without another word or a glance back at the living.

Bella suddenly screamed so loud that Edward knew her throat would be raw for hours. He walked toward her, but for every step he took, she screamed louder.

"Bella!" Edward realized the closer he got to her, the tighter whatever had a hold of her would grip her. He was clueless as to what to do. He should've made a call to Jasper the second he knew the case would be difficult. A mistake he'd never forgive himself for after this. "Tell me what to do."

Bella's eyes met his, but they were black. Not like Jane's, but close.

"Irina, let her go! You got what you wanted. They're going to sell the house." An unearthly cry seemed to bounce and rattle around the room.

Bella stumbled around when it seemed to release her, but caught herself, standing up fully once again. She looked at him as she pulled up her sleeves. "Stand back." Glowing letters circled her wrists, slowly moving up her arms "Come here, you bitch!" Her hand shot out to the right, becoming as transparent as James and Shelley. She had a hold of something, the translucent thing he'd seen before started to become more visible. The ghost he'd seen sneer at Tanya and Alec—Irina—stood on the tips of her toes, grasping at the hand around her neck. Her distorted features made his stomach churn. Hollow sockets instead of eyes, and her once red painted lips now were thin and grey, and nothing more than a slash under her thin nose.

Bella could touch and hurt her. Something he didn't think was possible.

"What the fuck?"

His words were the distraction Irina needed to free herself from Bella's grip, sending her sprawling toward the adjacent wall. The thud reverberated in the foyer, making his blood run cold.

It was the sound of bones breaking.

The ghost flew toward him, screamed in his face—more ghoul than spirit. It had greyish skin and had the kind of scream that rattled teeth and made most run. Edward instinctively stepped back as the figure dissipated into a black mass of shadow, and shot up through the ceiling. His chest hurt like a bitch, but he scrambled toward Bella, kneeling beside her. Pale and limp, he lifted her hand in his and realized she wasn't breathing.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Edward shifted Bella into a better position on the hardwood floor, falling back on his haunches when her strange tattoos burned bright white the second he touched her. "Don't freak out, man. It's just glowing letters."

A cackle above created icy shards in his blood, as the glowing tattoos dimmed to a soft gold.

Ignoring the light show from Bella's skin, he prayed all his experiences and training as a paramedic would help him save her. For the first time since he'd seen Bella fly across the room, he noticed the house had fallen quiet. It was the kind of silence that spooked a person more than unexpected bumps in the night.

Edward did his best to ignore the mounting fear that chilled his blood, and the house. His attention was on Bella as he loosened a scarf from around her neck and tossed it behind him. The off-shoulder sweater she wore wasn't tight, but he lifted it up and out of the way, and quickly found her sternum. She had yellowish bruises along her ribs, but the incident had only just occurred. That didn't make sense, but with a second look, he realized a few ribs were likely broken. He started chest compressions, as he took in the rest of her injuries, noticing some blood.

"Come on, Bella," he grunted after the first set, leaning over her. He breathed in her mouth and called out for the others. "James! Shelly!" His phone was in his bag, he needed to call for an ambulance. James usually had enough strength to push small items toward him, but his cousin wasn't answering. "Come on! Bella, if you're fucking hovering over my shoulder as a ghost, I swear I'll come after your nice ass and bring you back!"

He didn't need another life on his conscience.

Before he started on the next set of compressions, Bella's eyes snapped open. She inhaled deeply, seemingly unaware and unseeing. Edward pulled away, whispering her name.

A painful gasp escaped her as her hand grabbed his arm. Her eyes started to water as she coughed, rolling away from him. She cried out in pain, but tried again, and instead, turned toward him and rose to her knees in one fluid movement.

"Hold on," he said, but fumbled in his attempt to help her up by grabbing her arm too hard. She tried to contain another scream, failing and leaning away from him. The moment she was on her feet, Edward noticed the way her right arm hung limp at her side, her left hand grasping her bicep. Her eyes widened as they met his.

"It's dislocated, fuck," he said, reaching for his keys. "Let's get you to the hospital."

"No hospitals. I'll seize from the number of spirits lingering inside it by the time we pull into the parking lot." Bella bent over a bit to catch her breath. He hated hospitals for the same reason—too many ghosts. It was the reason he'd had to give up his career as a paramedic.

"I need to set your shoulder then."

Without a word, she limped toward the doorway leading to the living room, ramming her shoulder against the doorjamb. She screamed and gasped, sliding down the wall until her ass hit the floor. Tears squeezed out from her clenched eyes, as Irina cackled from the floor above them.

"You bitch," Bella spat out, rising her to feet. She was unsteady at first, but headed straight for the stairs that led to a guest room and Alec's office anyway.

Edward caught her as she passed him, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her toward the living room instead. "I don't think so. Not happening."

"Let me go, she's gonna pay for that shit!" She barely struggled in his arms, likely in too much pain to try fighting his hold more.

"Calm down," Edward hissed, trying to handle her gently, considering her body had slammed against the wall. "Let's regroup before we deal with her."

Bella spun until she faced him, her hair swinging around as if it had a life of its own. "For every minute we wait, the longer she has to recover. She'll get stronger, Edward, and that's not good for us."

"Trust me, I get it," he said, leaning toward her and whispering to avoid being overheard. The walls literally had ears. "But the cut on your head opened up again, and you busted a few ribs. I doubt you can do whatever you were trying to do earlier without hurting yourself further."

Bella's eyes narrowed, her lips thinning, but it wasn't long before her face softened. "I know, I know, you're right." She pushed past him and sat gently on the leather ottoman, rubbing her face with her hand. "I'm supposed to be taking a break, that's why I'm housesitting next door, but of course, there are ghosts nearby." She continued to grumble under her breath, too fast for him to catch everything. "Oh my God, I'm half naked!"

Edward rubbed the back of his neck, as she freaked out over her state of undress. In paramedic-mode earlier, he hadn't noticed her round, full breasts, or the sheerness of her bra. His thoughts were on her health, the bruising along one side of her ribs, and the blood on her head.

"I need some shit from my car." She was ranting and angry, moving around him as if nothing happened. He couldn't help but notice her as she adjusted her white sheer bra and pulled her sweater over her breasts. She said something else, finally stopping in front of him. He hadn't heard a word she said.

"Huh?"

Her bottom lip pushed forward, just enough of a pout to make him feel like a shit for perving. "Let's go next door."

"Why are we leaving? I thought you said the longer she has to recover…"

She waved her left hand outward, keeping the other one tucked against her chest.

"There's ways to slow her down. If we turn off the power to the house and keep your buddies out," she paused, looking up. "The _bitch_ can't drain energy from the house or them. That buys us time." The lighting fixture above them rattled, forcing them to back away from under it. Footsteps ran across the room on the floor above, fading away. Bella flicked her fingers out from under her chin at the ceiling in a rude gesture and walked toward the back of the house.

Left speechless for what felt like the hundredth time in the last hour, Edward followed her to a panel in the laundry room. Together, they figured out how to power down the house, except for the security system. Ten minutes later, each of them carrying one of Edward's bags despite his protests, walked over to the Parkers' home.

"We need some alcohol before we talk about what just happened and _so_ much more." Bella tossed her scarf on the couch, leaving his bag on the floor. "Follow me."

Confused and in the need for answers, Edward removed his leather jacket and followed Bella into a media room across from an elegant dining room. A fully stocked bar sat in the corner, a pool table, and massive screen made it the best man cave ever.

Bella went straight for the top-shelf vodka and turned two shot glasses onto the teak and marble bar counter top.

Taking a seat on one of the stools, he watched as she poured each of them a glass and some in her mouth straight from the bottle. He had about a hundred questions, but decided to start with an easy one. "Have you housesat here before?"

Bella found some lemons in the small fridge under the bar and started to slice them. "No. I have for Alec and Tanya. She's in my yoga class, that's who Garrett and Kate got my number from." She shrugged and held up her glass, waiting for him to do the same. "Cheers to one hell of a night." Their glasses clinked and they threw back the vodka. Edward couldn't believe how smooth it went down. It even tasted expensive. He mimicked Bella as she sucked on a lemon and poured herself another.

Edward caught the glint of metal in her tongue and tried not to think about what it would feel like on his skin. They had to talk, so he had to push his libido down and away—too much had happened. Answers to his questions were what he needed, not sex.

 _For now,_ he thought.

"Why don't we play twenty questions?" Bella circled the bar and sat beside him. "Let's start with the basics. Are you single?"

Edward snorted and rolled his eyes, pleased that she decided to ask him that first. "Yes, but not by choice. It's fucking hard to have a relationship when I have three spirits following my every move."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Single here, too. You do know you can turn it off, right?"

Did she mean their "I see dead people" gift? "How do I do that?"

She grabbed the bottle of vodka and shook it, pouring them another shot each. "Get drunk, or at least a decent buzz, and you can't see or hear them. Alcohol dulls our senses. They're most likely still there, but if you're tipsy enough, you don't care that they're watching you fuck someone."

Edward choked on his next shot, deciding to take the booze away from her, and led her toward the dark brown sectional in front of the screen. "As much as I understand your need to dull it right now, we need our extra senses to deal with Irina."

"Fine, but all bets are off after she's gone." She plopped down on the couch and grimaced, clutching her side. "Especially after what I learned tonight," she added.

What did she mean by that? "Explain what you mean, and what the hell happened over there?"

"I don't even know where to start," she said softly, resting the back of her head on the couch. She looked at him and touched his cheek. "How long have you been like this?" She was stalling, but he didn't call her on it.

"About five years, since a car accident where I was dead for about three minutes, but my uncle revived me."

"Is this uncle, James' father?"

Carlisle Cullen was James' father, and Edward owed him his life. "How did you know that?"

She blew out a breath and averted her gaze. "I get like an impression when any spirit is nearby, but I also get them from humans if they've experienced something like what happened to you."

His confusion seemed normal around this woman. "Why? Is that something that will happen to me? How can you stand it? You wouldn't be able to go anywhere."

She laughed, but winced and clutched her side again. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh, but you really sound like a little boy wanting to know all the answers right this second."

Edward chuckled and drew an imaginary halo over his head. "You can't blame me after what I saw tonight."

"Yeah," she whispered. "Okay, sometimes when a person nearly dies, or is revived like you were, it sort of leaves you wide open to everything around you. For me, I get an impression. It's sort of like the whole 'life flashes before your eyes' kind of thing, but for someone else. It's detailed, but fast and I don't understand everything I see. It takes time to interpret the images I do get. Sometimes, I only get bits and pieces, or I get the whole thing." She let out a small sob suddenly, wrapping her arms over her middle. "Most of the time, I feel what they did, too."

She was crying, and Edward had no idea how to handle it. Unsure if she'd welcome his touch, he walked to the bar and poured her another drink. Whatever happened with Irina next door, between the pain and what she'd seen of his life and Jane's, she deserved to get a little drunk.

She sipped the shot, seemingly unsure if she should drink it. They did need to take care of the vengeful ghost next door. It was best to do it with a clear head.

"How long have you been like this, Bella?" he asked, checking the cut on her forehead. The bleeding had stopped, but the yellowish bruising around it indicated it was at least a week old, similar to the older bruises on her ribs. He wondered if a ghost throwing her around was normal for her.

"Since as long as I could remember." Her hands started to rub her arms. "I'm cold."

He lifted his arm and waited to see if she would take his invitation. She rested her head on his chest and softly sighed. He put his arm around her, grabbed a throw blanket from a nearby cushion, and placed it over her. "Thank you." She said nothing for a bit. "I was left inside a trash can outside the ER doors of a hospital shortly after I was born. The records stated that I wasn't even a week old. Someone just left me there."

He gave her a gentle squeeze, just to let her know he was listening, but inside, his blood lost the chill and started to burn in anger. Who does that to a baby?

"I was placed in a home pretty quickly, taken in by the cop working on my case," she said, grinning a little. "I was pretty cute."

Edward focused on her full lips and small nose, trying to imagine Baby Bella. "I have no doubt about it."

"Anyway, I was a very quiet baby. The couple that fostered me thought something was wrong, but all the tests showed I was healthy, just quiet. It wasn't long before Charlie and Renee adopted me. Only, after a couple of years, Renee decided she wasn't meant to be a mother and left us."

"I'm sorry, Bella."

She whispered a soft thank you, stopping long enough to snuggle closer. "It's been so long since I told anyone about my past."

Edward offered her a half-assed smile, understanding her a little more. Most would have run away screaming if they knew he could talk to spirits. His ex-girlfriend sure ran and never looked back.

Unaware of his inner turmoil, Bella continued in a softer tone, yawning a few times. "Let's see, by then, I was about two and a half. Charlie tried so hard to raise me on his own, and he was doing okay, but he was a cop and he worked a lot of late shifts. One day, according the reports, I was found down the street while he was still in bed one early morning."

"You were taken from him."

"He fought the system, got a different job as a security guard with better hours, and he was able to get me back. I wasn't doing well in other homes anyway. Then he was shot and killed while on the job when I was five."

"Jesus."

"It gets worse," she said, looking up at him. "You sure you want to know?"

To him, leaving a child in a trashcan was the worst, but he had a feeling Bella knew worse well. "I want to know everything you're willing to share."

She'd want the same from him and he had no issue with it. He hadn't met someone he'd wanted to talk to in a long time. It could be a good thing for them.

"We will, but first, we have to get rid of Irina." She looked toward a window that faced the side of the Williams' house. The lights were off, but there was some kind of glow emanating from every window. "She's gaining strength."

"Maybe we should call for some help with this one," he said, helping her up from the couch. He had a demonologist on call.

"No need." Bella dismissed his words with a wave. "She's like a level three in my book."

Level three was still high on his scale of one to five. "In mine, she's a level five and that's my max. What's yours?"

"Uh, one to ten," she said, grimacing again. "She'll probably get to a five by the time we're done with her."

Fucking hell, if Irina was barely a blimp on her radar, how much worse could it get? It was a stupid question as he was about to find out.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

They walked out to her car, and once again, Edward whistled at the beauty of it. It couldn't have been more than a year or two old. The color suited Bella, and he hoped he'd get her to trust him enough to drive it one day. He didn't want to be rude, but how could she afford it?

"What's your day job?" he wondered out loud, hoping they were still playing twenty questions.

"Yoga instructor by day, ghostbuster by night," she said playfully, but shook her head. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the question on the tip of his tongue. "My grandma made me the beneficiary of a sizeable life insurance policy. One that I recently found out the premium was paid by an anonymous benefactor."

By the fury in her voice, she wasn't happy the "anonymous" part, not that he could blame her. It would immediately bring up many questions. Before he could ask something else, she popped open the trunk of her car. It had seemed like any other trunk, clean and new when they had to get her spare tire out. That was until she started to open up secret compartments around the perimeter of it. Each one held a variety of weapons; most were for battling the supernatural or any human threat.

"What the hell is this?" Edward asked, pulling out a vicious sawed-off shotgun.

"It's a lollipop. What does it look like? You're acting like you've never seen one."

"Seen one, sure," he stated roughly. His uncle had a cabin and he had a few shotguns and rifles in case of bears or mountain lions. "Touch or use one, no." There was no use in denying it; it was important she knew the truth. A gun was dangerous in an untrained hand, or any hand, for that matter.

She looked at him, her head tilted a bit, as if she was trying to figure him out. "One of these isn't the only way to protect yourself, but it's the most useful with powerful spirits that attack. How else do you protect yourself from really aggressive ghosts?"

"My friends do."

She cursed under her breath, pulling some type of strap out. "Have you ever noticed the spirit you're dealing with get more powerful when they help?"

Edward cycled through memories of the last few cases and found that she was right. "Yes, why is that?"

Bella continued going through her things as she answered. "Angry spirits can gather energy from those like them easier than anything else. So, when your friends joined you, they gave the spirit more power."

"But that would go both ways, right?"

She stood up fully and smiled. "Now you're getting it. Yes, I can probably teach them how to do that, if they don't know already."

Edward cocked an eyebrow. "I have a feeling you're going to teach me a thing or two." She only grinned in response and suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist to pull him closer. "What are you doing?"

 _Besides driving me crazy,_ he thought _. Damn, she smells good._

Her hands slipped from his back and over his sides, leaving a wake of heat he needed. A belt snapped into place, right over the waistband of his jeans. He swallowed hard, as due to their height, he could see down her sweater. The dry spell had to end soon, because they were about to hunt down a dead, angry wife, and he was thinking about what Bella's nipples would taste like.

"Stop looking at me like that," she said softly, adjusting the belt. "We'll do more talking later. Right now, I need you to keep Irina away from me until I'm ready to get rid of her. It'll take me several minutes to gain the strength I need to do my thing."

"And your thing is?"

Bella shrugged. "Reasoning with Irina is no longer an option," she said, her words proven right when an unearthly cry came from within the Williams' home. "I'm forcing her to crossover."

Edward winced, because it didn't sound pleasant, but if it was the only answer, they had little choice. "Is that what you do every time?"

"No, I usually help those that have unfinished business. Once they're ready, I can lead them to the veil."

Did she mean the veil between Earth and the spiritual world?

She pulled out a holster and vest of some sort and hooked it around his shoulders so it sat across his chest. The black strap was equipped with bottles of holy water and small pouches of something that looked like salt and herbs.

"What is all this?" Edward asked, poking at one of the pouches.

"You really are new to this," she said, pointing at a bottle. "Holy water on an angry spirit with the will to kill can stop it for a few seconds, buying precious time." He handed the shotgun over when she asked for it and went through a five-minute tutorial on how to load the rock salt shells. "Always aim for the center, and the salt will force them to dissipate, again buying time. It also helps with herding one to where you want it to go." She continued to instruct him for another few minutes. "Edward, if I tell you to run, you run _out_ of the house. She only has powers within it."

He wasn't stupid enough to promise anything. "Alec said a painting in the hallway was hers."

"That's one way to get rid of them—burning something they may have formed an attachment to. Did he say which one? From what I remember, there was a lot of art on the walls."

"He said the red painting in the hallway."

She grinned. "That's fucking perfect. That means I'll barely get my hands dirty." She handed him a Zippo and small bottle of lighter fluid. "We'll try the easy way first, but she'll probably put up a fight." She grabbed a small torch, similar to one he'd seen in his uncle's kitchen, to burn the painting, and closed the trunk. "If it doesn't work, which is possible if she's attached to the house and not the art, we'll have to go to Plan B."

A scream from the house started to rattle the windows. Irina was getting stronger. Edward listened to the rest of Bella's instructions, not at all bothered with the fact that she was in charge.

She was the veteran, not him.

Edward followed Bella as they made their way up the Williams' driveway. They stopped beside his truck, and she asked if he managed to set up any cameras before Irina pitched her fit. "I didn't have time."

She looked up at him. "I can help with that, but you'll have to blur my face out of any video, and I must approve of it. Call me B from now on, got it."

"Whatever you say," he said, not that it meant much if he couldn't set up anything. She opened a flap on the strap across his chest, and he noticed a small camera lens—very high tech. She circled around him and did something to the heaviest part of the vest at the small of his back. "Are you serious? If I put this on my site and channel, it'll pay the bills for at least six months."

"Yup, this one will automatically switch to night vision on its own," she said as she faced him again, giving the lens one last buff. "I sometimes have to do this to pay the bills, too. I fucking love October. Even old videos get a shitload of hits from people looking for a scare."

The fact she understood his reasons made him feel better about charging Alec and Tanya later. After what he'd seen, it was at least something they could do.

He had so many questions, but one stood out. "Do you know what happened with Jane and Irina?"

Some of the strength in her dark eyes bled out as her breathing turned harsher. The impression she'd gotten from Jane must have been awful. "I do, but please, let's wait until we're done and can talk with Alec."

He wasn't happy about it, but agreed. Whatever she learned, it hurt for her to know the truth. "Just answer one thing, did she kill Jane?"

"She's responsible, yes."

Edward rested the shotgun against his shoulder, making his way toward the house without another word. The doors slowly swung open as they stepped in front of them, but there was nothing inviting about the darkness within the house. They shared a look, before she switched on the flashlight she held.

"Damn," she whispered, her brow furrowing when the light wouldn't penetrate the dark. "We're going in blind."

"You know where to go?" There were two hallways in the house, which meant they had to go in two directions.

"Yes, I'm heading straight up the stairs."

"You know this is the part in a horror movie where the hot, dumb jock and the scream queen fuck, right?" Edward wanted to slap himself, but he had a tendency to blurt out the most inappropriate things at the wrong time, especially when he was nervous or scared.

Bella's lips twitched, trying to fight a smile. "You're not a dumb jock and my tits are nowhere near the size suitable for a scream queen."

He looked at her chest and cocked his head a little, earning a glare. "They're all right."

She lifted up her sleeves, the tattoos glowing brighter. "Watch yourself, Masen."

"Ditto, B." Edward walked in first, immediately feeling his way along a wall toward the hallway. It was pitch black; not even the LED light he was using made much of a dent into the darkness. He switched on a small light on the strap on his chest anyway and kept his senses open to his surroundings. Nearby, he heard Bella's feet climb up the stairs. He hated that they separated, but he knew she could take care of herself…him, on the other hand—

"Edward." The whisper was too soft, and he couldn't be sure if it was human or other. Another came from behind him, he turned toward the sound. There was no one there. He'd been in perpetual state of awareness all night, so his hair already stood up. He'd feel a lot better if James and the others were with him, but he had to keep Jane safe. The house was eerily quiet, almost as if he'd plugged his ears with something. He called out to Bella, just in case, but she didn't answer.

He battled with the urge to find her, ultimately choosing to move on. She was capable of handling spirits at a level he'd never even seen before. He told himself that she'd be okay. It wouldn't be the first time a spirit would attempt to lure him away from his true goal; in this case, Irina's painting.

Another whisper drew his attention to the foyer he had already passed. He turned in time to see Bella walk by, her face blank of emotion. She went straight for the front door. He called out to her, but her only response was to close the door behind her.

"It's not real," he said to himself. "She wouldn't just leave me." His doubts nearly choked him with fear, as tension seemed to close around him. Trying to focus, he found the first painting in the hallway. It had no fucking red in it, sending him running toward the next one. He cursed when the second one looked almost exactly like the first.

"Burn them all," Bella screamed from up above. There was no mistaking her voice. The doppelgänger he'd seen earlier was only an illusion. "She's manipulating what they look like. She's attached to one of them."

"There's fuck load in this hallway," he yelled back, tugging off the second painting from the wall. He turned when it came loose and fell back as he came face to face with Irina. She stood and swayed in front of him, a trickle of blood falling from one nostril and a white foam like substance on a corner of her mouth. Her eyes were completely black, and skin pale white. "She's here!"

Feeling completely out of his depth, he removed the safety on the gun and shot at the figure with a load full of salt. She screamed as she dissipated into wisps of gray and black, only to reappear behind him before he could get to his feet. He crawled backward and grabbed one of the pouches on the belt, throwing it at her. Irina screamed, as smoke seemed to come from everywhere, her head thrashing so fast that it soon became a blur, until it snapped to a stop. Gone were the black eyes, leaving only dark, empty sockets in their place. Her lips appeared like a crudely drawn mouth with a razor. The slash parted as she silently screamed, and even though he heard nothing, something had a hold of his head.

"Edward!" The voice seemed a thousand feet away. He turned toward it, knowing he had to get to it, but the hallway appeared to be the length of a football field. "You have it! Bring it to me!"

Under the strain of the grip on his head, he managed to load the shotgun again. He shot toward the direction he'd last seen Irina, breathing in deeply when it finally released him. He ignored the pain and tried to get up. The sharp corner of the painting in his hand reminded him of what he had to do. Unable to load the gun again, he ran for the light at the end of the hall. His salvation was in the form of a woman at the end, her skin glowing brighter as he approached.

He held the painting to his chest as the creature crawled up the wall and onto the ceiling overhead. It dropped in front of him, the temperature falling to dangerous levels as his vision darkened around the edges.

"Not happening, bitch!" A glowing arm shot out from the center of the creature's chest, making it writhe and scream in place, until it burst into a cloud of smoke. "Fuck, I couldn't get a good grip on her." He heard the voice, but couldn't see her. "Edward? Come back to me, listen to my voice." He felt the tight grip of hands on his face and he tried to fight them, but they held firm. "It's B, Edward. Fuck it." The moment her lips touched his, all his senses returned in a snap. They were soft, but hard in their delivery. It still warmed him up in a matter of seconds. "We don't have time for this, she'll be back."

He nodded, rubbing away the tingle her kiss left behind. It didn't work, but he had to ignore it. They helped each other off the floor, and she led the way to the foyer, armed with the shotgun. In the middle of the room burned a small fire she'd started from the torn painting he saw in the living room earlier.

"Toss it in," Bella said, grabbing a few shells from the belt around his waist. She pressed her back against his, and kept watch for Irina. Edward held up the painting just as a figure appeared at the foot of the stairs. Bella shot it, making it disappear and reappear a few stairs up. "It's too late, Irina."

"For Jane." Edward threw the painting into the fire, watching it light up. The creature started to scream as it caught fire, thrashing from side to side. It tried in vain to put out the flames, losing the ability to hold its form. They watched the painting burn until there was nothing left but ash a few minutes later. "And another one bites the dust," he sang under his breath as the grandfather clock in the living room struck, telling of the late hour.

Bella bumped his shoulder as they stood over the dwindling fire. "We're going to get along just fine."

Edward couldn't help but smile, but first, it was time for answers.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

Edward and Bella worked together to clean up the living room as much as possible. Alec and Tanya were on the way back to discuss what happened and to answer whatever questions the couple had. "How can we be absolutely positive that Irina is gone?" Edward asked as he righted an end table.

Bella removed the canister from the vacuum she used to collect Irina's ashes from the Oriental rug. It was only a precaution in case Irina attached herself to something else. Bella claimed it was highly unlikely and stated that Irina's departure was rather violent, and most angry spirits didn't have the forethought to prevent their demise.

"Easy," she replied, sealing the ashes in a small container she had retrieved from her car. It had several markings etched into the glass. "Here, hold this." Edward held it out in front of him as if would attack, making her chuckle. "It's fine. I'll show you."

She stood back and pulled off her jacket, leaving her arms bare. Her head tipped back, her eyes on the ceiling above. She whispered a few words that sounded like a spell, holding her arms out. "I'm opening myself to spiritual plane to see if there is anything is the vicinity."

The markings slowly emerged, moving along her wrists, and glowing a soft gold.

"You're still lighting up."

"That's because of you, but if they turned black or blue, it would mean that a ghost or demon was nearby."

"They glow gold because of me?"

The markings disappeared as she looked at him, her eyes a little brighter than usual. They changed like her tattoos, darkening or lightening at will. "I recognize someone that is gifted like me. I told you that."

"You can tell that I can see ghosts because of the markings?'" She nodded. "I can't do the things you do," Edward stated, shaking his head. "I may be able to see and hear them, even help a spirit cross over, but that thing you do is something entirely different."

"It's a different method, I suppose." She slipped back into her jacket. "You probably have a hundred questions."

Edward sat roughly on the couch, exhaling sharply and rubbing his hands over his face. He couldn't look at her. Adrenaline still ran through his blood, and mixed with his desire for her, made him a ticking time bomb. If he wanted answers, he needed to keep that part of himself in check.

He didn't need to open his eyes to know where she was; he could feel her move across the room, each step bringing her closer. He'd never been so aware of anyone. It hardly helped that they had met literally hours earlier. Did he want her because they understood each other better than anyone else could? He wasn't sure he liked that thought, because it seemed too convenient. There was something very wrong with settling for someone, just because it wasn't possible to be with anyone else.

It wasn't fair to either of them.

The cushion beside his moved slightly when she sat down, the brush of her thigh nearly sending him lunging for her. He was starting to forget why they couldn't jump into bed yet.

"I was a child when the markings first appeared," she whispered.

"You said your father died when you were five, but you mentioned a grandmother."

"She was my grandmother in every sense of the word, but blood. After Charlie died, I was sent to a foster family, but after of two days of night terrors, I was taken to another, and another."

"I can't even imagine what it would be like to have this gift as a child. Sometimes the spirits look exactly how they did when they died. When I woke up at the hospital, I thought I was going crazy, with all the dead patients around."

"Charlie stayed with me for a while," she said, wrapping her arms around herself.

Edward realized how hard it must be for her to tell him, so he offered her his comfort. "Come here."

She eyed him for a second, then snuggled by his side, and he wrapped his arm tightly around her shoulders.

"I was the only thing keeping Charlie here, and he wouldn't leave until he knew I was okay. Anyway, eventually, they were unable to place me with a family, so they sent me to an orphanage run by nuns at the time. I developed an attachment to Sister Margaret. She had Charlie's brown eyes. It was tough at first, because the kids there only thrived when donations were coming in. Even then, it wasn't easy. There were a few spirits there and I think I was eight when I helped the first spirit crossover. Sister Margaret realized what I could do, and we did our best to keep it that way. The other kids stayed away and called me a freak, because I would sometimes faint or seize when a spirit was near. One night, after a trip to a local movie theater, a spirit followed me back to the orphanage. It had bad intentions and when it tried to attack me in my sleep, I was able to grab it. Imagine all the kids suddenly waking up and seeing me strangling something they couldn't see. My skin started to glow and I started to spew out words in another language."

"Jesus, they must've freaked out."

"They did when they could finally see what I was holding. I'm not sure how it works exactly, I think when the markings glow and I'm touching a spirit, I literally have one foot in our plane and another in theirs." She struggled to explain it and looked for the easiest way to make sense of it all. "Ever watch that cartoon _Danny Phantom_? It sort of works like that, though I've never gone completely 'ghost'."

"You're talking to a resident geek. Of course, I've heard of _Danny Phantom_. You got a catchphrase," he teased, poking her side and making her laugh. The discussion was rather heavy and he wanted to lighten it up—anything to make the sadness in her eyes disappear for a little while.

"No catchphrase," she said, rolling her eyes. It took a couple of minutes for her to start up again. "The sisters had to report me to the Vatican. I was tested, but they couldn't recreate what they'd seen. They needed a ghost to do it. They determined that I was a possible threat and they wouldn't let me leave the orphanage after that."

"That's unfair of them. Did you force that spirit away?"

"Yes, it was quite the lightshow." She said nothing for a while. "One night, Sister Margaret packed my things and hers, and we left. I was in her care after that, adopted, and I recently found out that an anonymous benefactor pretty much paid all our expenses. She left me a letter when she passed a few months ago that stated shortly after reporting to the church about my gifts, someone offered me everything I would need, but only if I had a true home."

"There has to be more to that."

"Maggie already loved me and I her, so she had no problem taking me away. The catch was that my gifts were allowed to flourish." She shrugged. "I think she knew that couldn't happen under the church's watchful eyes."

"You were lucky then," he said, pulling her closer. "You were so young to go through all this."

"I'm grateful that she cared enough to help me," she whispered, but Edward heard some anger in her words. "I just wish I knew who it was, you know?"

"I would want to know, too."

"Anyway, my grandmother had taken me to various parts of the world trying to find answers, all paid for by this person. The markings changed every time for some reason, so it's hard to pinpoint what they mean. She wanted to know what they would mean for me."

"Did she find anything out?"

"A shaman recognized one of the words as redemption, and a gypsy said one of them meant punishment. Each time someone interpreted a word, it would change."

"Neither of those words answers why this is happening to you?"

"I don't think I'll ever find the answer, either. The only one that probably knows more about all of this is whoever gave birth to me."

He had another thought. "The benefactor could know something, too."

"I thought that, too, but they could also be one in the same."

Edward finally understood why any mention of the mysterious benefactor made her angry. If it was her birth mother, at one point in time, she chose to leave her baby in a trashcan.

"Is there anything else that I should be aware of?" he asked, unable to resist kissing the top of her hair. Amidst the chaos of the room they were in, Edward wanted nothing more than to lay her back and kiss her, more if she allowed it. Maybe it wasn't just convenient. There was real chemistry between them.

"I've had regressive therapy."

"Seriously," he said, pulling away enough to see that she wasn't joking. "Did you remember past lives?"

She looked away, doing a half-shrug thing and nodding, too. "I was the same in all of them." She held up her wrist, the markings barely visible, and a warm gold. It was strange to know that they reacted to him. "I had these in every life before this one."

Edward didn't know what to say, other than ask more questions. "How many are we talking about?"

"According to the therapists' notes, he counted twenty-five, dating back as far as the revolutionary war."

"What do you mean his notes? Did you stop seeing him?"

"We had to, because he had dollar signs in his eyes. Maggie thought he wanted to use me to further his career. She was afraid I'd be exploited."

"How old were you?"

"I was fifteen." She pulled away, curling up as small as she could. "You ready to run yet?"

He understood why she was open at times, while at others, she put up a fortified wall. Everyone else, other than the woman that adopted her, had left her after learning what she could do. Those that didn't run probably tried to take advantage of her.

"I'm not going anywhere, Bella."

"If you stick around, maybe I can tell you the rest."

He hated that she held onto some secrets, but he understood her reasons. "Come back, Bella, please."

She untucked her legs from under her, uncrossing her arms from her chest, tapping a few fingers on her arm as if she was contemplating something.

He smiled softly, offering a hand; an invitation to be with him and be herself.

She launched herself toward him, laughing when he grunted. Her knee almost caught him between the knees. That soft mouth of hers was everywhere, teasing him, pressing sweet, little kisses all over his face. Her eyes snapped open, meeting his, her lips poised over his. "We're probably mistaking adrenaline for lust," she whispered, pressing her mouth to his anyway.

"No," he groaned as he pulled away long enough to shift her. She straddled him, still unsure, but the desire in her eyes was unmistakable. "I wanted you before I even knew what you could do."

 _Fuck, you're just figuring that out._

She moaned softly, cradling his face as her hips rolled over him. He was hard beneath her, and he worked to stop himself from thrusting up for more, for something deeper and without fucking clothes. Something was stopping him, and it wasn't doubts anymore. It was the fact that the owners of the house would arrive any minute.

"God," he hissed, his head falling back. Her lips drifted from his mouth, over his chin and sucked at the pulse point on his neck. They both groaned, her hands tightening around his jaw, his on her hips. "As much as I want this to continue, if you don't stop, I'm going to come."

A breathy laugh had him cursing, and the scrape of her teeth on his neck made him guide her hips over his. "That's kind of the point, Edward."

A noise from the front entrance alerted them—the sound of keys in the lock. Her eyes widened when she realized why he tried to put a stop to their encounter.

"Shit, Tanya." She scrambled off his lap, finger combing her hair, but returned to him with a brief kiss. "Get up, or else they're going to figure out what we were just doing." She looked pointedly at his crotch, and sure enough, there was no hiding his arousal sitting down.

"Go greet them," he huffed, rising to his feet and trying to adjust. She looked at him for a moment, popped up onto her toes to kiss his cheek.

"Can't wait to ride that thing," she teased, leaving him in the same situation they were in on the couch.

"Bella," he groaned and turned away to gather some control. It wasn't long before he heard Alec and Tanya talking with her. By the tone in Tanya's voice, she was angry. At least it killed his unruly dick.

"I'm trying to understand why you're here, Bella," he heard Tanya snap. They walked into the living room and everyone stopped talking to stare at each other. It was a rather strange situation. "Explain why she's here. How could you bring someone else here?"

Edward barely interacted with the woman, but she was coming off more concerned than rude.

"I told you that I would likely need a friend to help me out, Bella is that friend." Alec gave him a look that he didn't believe the relationship status, but there was no reason to say otherwise. "She helped me rid your house of Irina."

Bella asked them to have a seat and took the one beside Edward, leaving them directly across from the Williams.

"Is she gone?" Alec asked, his eyes looking at the ceiling fixture directly above the coffee table that separated them. "I'd rather not have my wife here if she's still haunting this place."

"I'm going to let Bella do the talking. She's a medium and much more sensitive than me."

They had already agreed to that arrangement after he called Alec, but didn't have the time to go over what Bella had learned from Irina and Jane.

"What I'm about to tell you is going to be hard to hear. Please allow me to finish before you ask any questions. It's very hard for me to discuss it. I'm afraid that, if I stop, I'll stop for good. Is that okay?"

The couple nodded, taking each other's hand.

"Good, I have a few questions first. Alec, I have to ask, did you notice any changes in your wife in the last few months?"

Alec winced, but nodded.

"Do you mean me? Changes like what, how?" Tanya asked, seemingly horrified.

"You became obsessed with what others thought and about our social standing. It was nothing like you, it reminded me of…"

"Of Irina," Tanya whispered, looking even more confused. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"We'd only been married a year. I thought it was stress and not working anymore." Tanya had several cookbooks in publication, a successful web series, and had a cooking show on the Food Network, she quit her web series and show after getting married. Alec shrugged. "You weren't always like that. It sort of seemed like you were two different people, though."

"That's because she was being influenced by Irina. I can take a guess she was the one like that." Alec only nodded, waiting for more. "At first, I don't think she cared about Tanya or your new marriage, but when she realized your wife was nothing like her, she couldn't, in essence, live vicariously through her anymore. The activity got more aggressive recently, right?"

"Yes, I'd say three months or so," Alec said as he looked at his wife for confirmation.

Tanya's eyes widened as if she figured out something. "Oh my God, I hadn't even realized, it was when I found out I was pregnant."

"What?" Alec looked at his wife, his eyes going through a myriad of emotions, finally softening. "You're really pregnant."

"Yes, I'm sorry I kept it from you, I had just confirmed it with my doctor when things got so bad here. I didn't know how to tell you."

Bella and Edward gave the couple a few minutes of privacy, grabbing drinks from the subzero in the kitchen. He pulled out a butcher knife that embedded itself in the door and waited with Bella beside him.

"How bad was it for Jane?" he asked, wondering where his companions had drifted off to. He wanted to call them.

"Is that on a scale of one to ten?" When he nodded, she blew out a breath and sipped from her drink. "It's a nine…no, a ten easy."

Edward noticed the glow coming from one of her wrists. He pulled up her sleeve slowly to watch the markings dance across her skin. They were blue. "Are they close by?"

"Yes."

He had felt their presence in the last few minutes, around the time Alec and Tanya arrived. "Why haven't they joined us?" he asked, pulling Bella close and kissing her forehead. She trembled as she pulled down her sleeve. She probably didn't want Tanya and Alec to see them.

"Jane's afraid she'd go dark if she was too close when I tell them what happened."

She had explained why she sent Jane and the others away, had Jane remained when Irina was still with them, she could've lost her soul due to her anger. Edward closed his eyes. "Jane was the first _person_ I saw when I opened my eyes after Carlisle revived me. I thought she was real at first."

"Do you remember the exact stretch of road where your accident took place?"

He pulled away to look at her. "Yes, why?" It would be hard for anyone to forget where they killed their cousin.

"Her body was probably buried nearby," she whispered, tugging on his shirt to pull herself into his arms again. "When you're ready, I can call someone at the local precinct to investigate the area."

"That decision will be left to her." Edward shrugged and pulled away. "Irina's dead, and if she's responsible, what does it matter? Justice was served tonight." He wouldn't take the choice to crossover from Jane. From what he had learned, she'd already had many things ripped away from her. She would be the one to choose when and if she wanted peace and crossover. He hated it; he wanted her to have her peace, but not unless it was something she desired.

"I understand," Bella said, humming softly. "We'll just have to keep my tattoos from showing whenever I'm around you. Your family of sorts is a package deal, so I'll have to stick to long sleeves. They'll probably have to keep their distance in front of people, too. Can you imagine what people would say when I suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree?"

She was rambling and nervous, a little fidgety. It was cute.

All he heard was that she'd be around. "Does that mean we're in this together?"

She looked up just as Alec called for them from the living room. Bella offered her hand, a lifeline, and he slipped his in hers. "You're stuck with me, Masen."

"Sounds good to me. Besides, what will you do without me?" he teased, waggling his eyebrows. "You don't even have a catchphrase. What am I going to do with you?" He shook his head in playfully disgust. She tugged him toward the living room, trying not to laugh with him.

A brief light moment between them—it was needed.

It was time for more of those answers. A small whimper of pain alerted him of Jane's presence, closer than before. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what happened, but he walked beside Bella, determined work through it together.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: This chapter comes with a warning. There is a mention of abuse that may be triggers. It's not detailed, but I wanted to be safe. See you on the flip side.  
**

* * *

 **Chapter Ten**

* * *

"I apologize for my behavior Edward, Bella," Tanya stated, wringing her hands.

Edward and Bella sat across from his clients. Though they appeared better, it was clear they were tired. Tanya appeared sincere in her apology.

"It's just, I know you've been through so much recently, Bella, with the loss of your grandmother and what happened with Vicky was hard enough on you. I would never want to trouble you with all this. You could've been hurt here, Bella."

Edward looked at Bella, as she nodded, accepting Tanya's apology. He knew Bella lost her grandmother recently, but who was Vicky? He'd have to ask later, along with the questions still left unanswered. At least he understood why Tanya was angry when they first arrived. A part of him hated that he had put her in danger, but he also knew they were safer working together.

Tanya and Alec weren't aware Bella technically stumbled upon the situation and helped save his ass and Jane's soul. He wasn't going to tell them they only just met, either. It was best that they knew as little as possible.

"Will you tell us what you know?" Alec asked, taking Tanya's hand. "We have so much to do. We need clean up and decide if we're staying. Right now, I just need to know the truth." Tanya agreed with her husband, and then, all eyes were on Bella.

She cleared her throat. "Irina was a deeply disturbed individual. She was very angry after her father died when she was a child, especially when her mother remarried less than a year later. She adored you at one point Alec, maybe even truly loved you, even your sister. She did her best to not be that person when she was with you."

"Are you saying she was _deeply disturbed_ as a child? Why?"

Bella closed her eyes briefly, taking in a fortifying breath. "Something happened with her stepfather soon after joining the family."

"Oh God," Alec groaned, exhaling sharply. Tanya tightened her fingers around his, rubbing his back. "I never liked the man, and she said he hardly paid any attention to her all day."

"Unfortunately, at night was different," Bella murmured, her hand searching for an anchor between them. Edward quickly took a hold of her hand in both of his. It couldn't be easy to discuss what she found out. "He threatened to kill you, if she talked or didn't do what he wanted. This went on for years."

It was vile and Edward was happy he hadn't had a chance to eat. He would've been sick just then. It was so much worse that he believed it could be.

"The trip to Florida," Alec muttered, tears in his eyes. "That monster went after my sister during that trip, didn't he?"

"Your sister had one of those faces, looked much younger than she actually was."

"My poor sister," Alec cried, sobbing and slowly rocking within his wife's arms.

"Jane attacked him, fought like hell, until he threatened you and your parents." Bella shook her head. "After that first night, she avoided sleeping in her hotel room for the rest of the trip. Irina gave her the first taste of alcohol and some pain meds after Jane told her. Jane realized that he was hurting Irina, too. Irina wouldn't say anything, too afraid of him. Jane had every intention of going to the police, but he made it clear that he had the power to destroy them all. Who would believe a girl with mental health issues over an upstanding pillar of the community?"

"What mental health issues?" Tanya asked her husband.

"She was bipolar and they had just diagnosed her with depression," Alec said, his eyes staring blankly at the floor. "She was going to therapy once a week, but she stopped shortly after that trip. Now I know why."

"Jane couldn't handle keeping it a secret and staying home, eventually she left," Bella said and pulled her arm to her chest, taking Edward's hand, too. "She worked to pay the bills, eventually turning to drugs more and more. Irina kept in touch with her, showed her where to get the best shit that would make her forget and how she wouldn't have to pay for it."

"Keep going," Alec said, his voice deeper.

"She hooked for a few years, and it wasn't until she almost died at the hand of one her johns that she decided enough was enough. She asked Irina for help, but she said she couldn't give it to her. She was getting her shit cheaper because of Jane. Why would she want to help her? Irina made excuses, but from what I could make out of their memories, Irina had purposefully put Jane in her stepfather's path. She wanted someone else to share her misery."

The information sent Alec into another series of sobs, Tanya trying her best to calm him. He begged a tearful Bella to continue.

"Jane went into rehab, was clean for almost two years when she bumped into Irina again in the next town. Irina claimed that she was clean, that she was in therapy, and that she and Alec had married and happy. By then, Alec had already found out about drugs, cut her off financially, but Jane had no idea. Jane had money, a trust fund after your grandmother died. Irina saw her potential new cash cow, but she just had to make sure Jane didn't get to you."

"That bitch." Alec's voice was nearly animalistic. "Jane was ready to come home, that's what you're saying."

"Yes, but Jane was worried that you would hate her, wouldn't be able to forgive her for running away. Thought you'd see her differently after what happened to her, for all the things she'd done." Bella dropped her head, tucking her chin against her chest. Edward brushed his thumb over her knuckles, gently turning her hand. Her sleeve slipped up just enough for him to see that her markings were glowing a deep blue. The others were close enough for them all to feel.

"Irina had hoped to get Jane access to her trust before she went to see the family. Jane was staying at a motel, worked at a diner, a place she knew you wouldn't ever stop to eat. One night Jane found Irina high as hell in her hotel room, a used condom wrapper in the trash, and found paperwork stating that Alec had cut her off and about her trust fund. Irina was using Jane's room to make money so she could pay for her next hit."

"Fucking hell," Edward groaned, wiping at his mouth and tugging at his hair. "They fought, didn't they?"

"Irina came around and Jane confronted her, said she was going to call her brother right then. Irina knew if Alec found out she was still using, that she'd been selling her body for money that the chance for a fairytale life would end. They fought, Jane was exhausted after a twelve-hour shift, and she was considerably smaller and stronger. Irina wrapped her hands around Jane's throat, put a knee on her chest, it didn't take long for Jane to lose consciousness."

Before Bella had a chance to continue, Alec ran to the half-bath down the hall. Tanya wiped away tears, running after her husband.

Edward sat beside Bella, staring at nothing but seeing too much. Everything Bella described he saw in his mind.

"She buried Jane alive, didn't she?" Edward was afraid of the answer.

"Yes." Bella whispered Jane's name, and she appeared, looking nothing like the figure he'd seen before. Her hair was down in loose curls that reached the middle of her back. Her skin no longer held the grayish tint that most spirts had.

"Are you ready to crossover?" Bella asked, squeezing Edward's hand. He didn't want Jane to go without a proper goodbye, but it was ultimately her choice.

Jane looked at Edward and then at Bella. "No."

"You have to give your brother some peace of mind," Bella replied, holding out her hand. Jane slipped her fingers through Bella's and smiled. "Will you do that for him?"

Jane nodded and slowly disappeared. At the room's doorway stood Alec and Tanya. They hadn't caught the conversation, but they'd seen Jane. Bella leaned toward Edward and whispered, "Let me do the talking."

He had no idea what was going on, but he had to trust Bella once again.

"My sister is here," Alec said, holding onto his wife.

Edward explained to them that Jane had attached herself to him the night of his accident, claiming that he reminded her of someone though she wasn't sure whom. It wasn't until he arrived to meet Alec that Jane finally remembered who she was and everything that happened to her.

"I could continue," Bella offered, gesturing toward the couch they had left. "I'm sorry if I was a little too detailed, I tend to get lost in the memories I see."

"How did Irina get away with this? She wasn't capable of handling a murder scene." Alec seemed to know what was coming, and maybe a part of him didn't want to know.

"Irina called someone she could trust to help and they were able to get Jane's body out of there without anyone catching them. Jane's rent wasn't due for another week. They used Jane's phone to text her boss that she was sick and wouldn't be in for a few days. When management came in after no answers from her, they found the room key and her things gone and thought nothing bad about it. Her boss was used to girls coming and going without a word, and didn't report her missing either."

"Was my sister alive when they dumped her body?"

"Just barely," Bella whispered, looking away. Tears slipped down her cheek as she continued to speak. "During the struggle, she had hit her head, combined with the choking, she couldn't wake up. She felt very little when they buried her, but she may have been aware."

Alec shifted until his head lay on his wife's lap. "She was alone, she hated the dark."

For several minutes, no one said a word. Edward wasn't sure what he felt. He'd known Jane for five years, had helped him through the worst part of his gifts. Bella held up her arm and together they sunk further into the couch, holding each other. Edward had always been protective of Jane, in a brotherly kind of way. It was no wonder she had attached herself to him, he was the same build as her brother and other than the color of their hair and their ages, they could pass as relatives.

"It hadn't been long after that Irina had overdosed, her secrets dying with her." Alec shook his head, clenching his eyes tight.

"That was Jane right?" Tanya asked, running her fingers through her husband's hair. "The spirit we saw a while ago."

Bella sat up, keeping her arm tucked against Edward. "She has a message and then she'll be able to move on."

Alec's tears renewed, his face paling further. "How can I face her when I failed her? She was my sister and I didn't know. I didn't know."

Jane appeared between them, dressed in something very different from what she usually wore around Edward and the others. The dress was white, a little past her knees, and seemed to be in constant motion. Tanya stared up at Jane, even gave her a little wave and smile. Jane laughed and the room seemed to warm up with the sound. Alec startled, but eventually turned to see his sister.

"I'll be okay," Jane said softly to them. "I am okay. I needed you to find out the truth for so long and I couldn't move on until now." There was something about her voice, Edward never noticed before, an echo of sorts, as if she were speaking across a canyon.

Edward shared a look with Bella, confused about what was happening. Jane had said she didn't want to crossover. Had she changed her mind?

"I'm so sorry, Jay," Alec cried, sitting up and looking desperate to touch his sister. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't risk him hurting you, or our family. I thought it was for the best." She shrugged, her curls bouncing around playfully. "And now the man that hurt me is dead and in hell for everything he did. So is Irina."

"Irina's stepfather had a heart attack a few years after Jane disappeared. They got away with everything though, they didn't suffer," Alec spat, seething. His hands curled into fists. Edward noticed the change in Jane's appearance the angrier Alec got. The tips of her fingers were black, wisps of the darkness circling up into her palms.

"You need to let it go," Edward warned him. "Jane was very angry earlier, and she almost lost her soul because of it. She feeds off your energy, too."

Alec's face softened, the cruel twist of his lips fell away. "Why would she lose her soul?"

"Because I had almost reached the point that I would've sacrificed all of you if it meant she was sent to hell."

Alec closed his eyes, Tanya whispering softly in his ears. "My parents deserve to know something and have some peace."

"Bella can lead the police to where my body is buried," she whispered, reaching out for her brother. "Let them come up with their own conclusions. If you tell them any of what you've learned tonight, they'd think you're crazy."

"They'll be devastated, but they'll want closure."

"They'll get some, there's enough evidence to convict the man that helped Irina cover up my murder." Jane's hand reached out to touch her brother's cheek, the same one that Irina had scratched. His breath hitched, the red marks disappearing. "It's time for me to go."

"I can feel you." His whisper seemed to choke him. "I'm sorry, Jane." He dropped his head on his wife's shoulder and cried. "I love you. Goodbye, Jay." Tanya held him as she whispered said goodbye.

"I love you, too, Ace," Jane whispered, using her brother's nickname. "Take care of him, Tanya. And my niece, protect her and love her."

Tanya nodded, raising her tear-filled eyes at Jane. Her head tipped upward, smiling. They watched as Jane's form started slowly to dissipate in a brilliant, warm light.

Bella whispered something softly under her breath, pulling her sleeves down. "What was that?" Edward asked, confused and hurt that Jane had said nothing to him.

Bella pressed a kiss to his cheek, whispering, "She laid it on a little thick."

His eyes widened, as he finally understood. "She's still here?" Bella nodded and offered Tanya and Alec some privacy. They walked into the kitchen and sat in two of the only remaining chairs.

"Can you explain what just happened?" Edward asked as he adjusted Bella's chair so that she sat right beside him.

"Jane isn't ready to move on, but she knew her family needed closure."

"So all of that, the light, the warmth, her disappearing under that bright beam was her faking it?" he said, not buying it. It looked pretty fucking real to him.

"I helped a little," Bella said, shrugging. "She did what she had to do so he could move on. She had to leave for now, because now that her brother is aware of spirits, he would've known she hadn't left." She pulled out her cell phone and asked him to point out where his accident occurred.

He pointed it out and she enlarged the map. "Why do you need that location?"

"The police will need to know the starting point to the map I'm going to give them. To find her body, I mean."

"But if they have her body, wouldn't Jane be forced to crossover?"

Bella sighed and looked at him. "Jane isn't attached to some inanimate object or her body. She's attached to you."

Edward had always feared that Jane remained with him for that reason.

"And if they do find it, then what?"

"Well, officially they'll take another look at her original missing file case, investigate. They'll eventually learn that Irina had been involved, along with a drug dealer that helped her. I'll give them just enough information to get started."

"I don't know if I should be upset that Jane won't move on or happy that she hadn't left without saying goodbye." Edward rubbed his face and wanted a few more shots. "That was fucking brutal. I can't charge them now." Bella hummed and reached for his hand. His gaze rose to meet hers. "You saw all of that didn't you?" She shivered violently in reply before he pulled her into his arms.

.

.

.

It was after two-thirty in the morning by the time Edward and Bella, along with the homeowners Alec and Tanya Williams finished with the police. They would report the break-in to the insurance company first thing in the morning. A search team conducted by Detective Biers would start the search for Jane's burial site the following day.

Edward walked into the neighbor's house with Bella close behind him. Without even talking, they each made their way to the game room, and their first stop was the bar. He walked around the bar and served them each a shot.

Bella leaned toward him, her arms tucked against the top of the bar, throwing her drink back. "You can't stay here, Edward," she said, frowning at her empty shot glass. "I'm pretty sure the owners have video cameras here. They'd know you were here and they were dead set against visitors."

"Do you want me to leave?" he asked, pouring her another drink. She looked up at him and shook her head. "Then I'll stay." He walked over to one of the bags he had at the house next door, pulling out a laptop. "Let's see what they have going on here." He asked for the network password, which the homeowners had given Bella to use their Wi-Fi. "The security cameras are on the same network and oh, my!" She laughed at his convincing shocked face. "It appears that all video cameras stopped working. The network is very spotty, something must be wrong with it." He closed his laptop after a few more minutes of typing. "Just be sure to mention shitty service the next time they call to check in."

She gave him a coy smile, but it fell when Edward yawned. "Come on, let's get some sleep."

Edward rolled his eyes, taking her hand and following her into guest bedroom. Exhaustion was claiming him, though he was very much aware of them each stripping down to their underwear. They crawled under the covers and faced each other.

She touched his cheek and whispered, "Get some sleep." He did with no protesting, content that he'd wake up with her beside him.

Bella's fingers skimmed over his forehead, the tips glowing due to his nearness. His hair was slightly damp after a long, anxious night. She wanted to stay, wrap his arms around her for the next few hours. Instead, she jumped out of bed and went out to her car to get the things she needed. Her insides were already burning as a clock struck three in the morning. She quickly threw up a spell around Edward, something that would keep the dead away from them. Her feet carried her to the small room she found earlier, placing the chair she brought with her in the center. She closed and locked the door behind her. The markings on her skin glowed a deep red as she approached the special chair, and she sat, quickly chaining herself to it before it was too late.

* * *

 **AN: I wanted to thank everyone for their reviews and recs on various media sites. I appreciate each and every one, and I'll try my best to answer non-spoiler questions from now on. You have your answers about Jane and Irina, but I'm sure a few more popped up with this chapter cliffhanger. Oops.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

* * *

Edward stretched his hands above his head, his fingers touching an unfamiliar headboard. It didn't take long for him to remember all that happened in the last eighteen hours or so.

There was frantic call from a new client, Jasper having given Alec the number to call when he recognized his troubles. He couldn't forget Jane's revelation at her brother's house and the near collision that could've killed a woman. There was no forgetting Bella and all that transpired since meeting her on that stretch of road.

He rolled onto his side, his hand in search of the inviting warmth of Bella. A small groan slipped from his lips the moment he contacted soft skin. She sighed in her sleep; it was a low, sexy sound from deep within her. His arm curled over her hip, pulling her toward his body. For someone so petite, she fit against him perfectly. Everything lined up in bed, well, what was important at least.

Lips to lips.

Heart to heart.

Hips to hips.

She came willingly into his arms, humming against his neck. He had forgotten that they were only in their underwear, having stripped down in the early morning hours. Suddenly he was completely fucking hard, there was no way to hide his arousal; space didn't exist between their bodies. The low, little sound she made earlier returned, vibrating through her when she felt his length against the warmest part of her. One of the only things keeping him from touching and tasting every inch of her was the secrets she kept from him.

"What time is it?" she asked, her still sleepy voice was sexy as hell. It wasn't making his situation any better. If she continued to talk and rub against him, he'd have her under him and screaming his name for another reason other than ghosts.

Thinking of ghosts, he hadn't heard a damn thing from James and the others. Not since they left Alec and Tanya's house shortly after Jane staged a _crossing over_ for the sake of her brother. It wasn't unusual for them to give him space after a long day and night of investigating, for all he knew they could be close. It never lasted long though.

He opened his eyes just enough to see that Bella's markings were a dim gold, due to his presence. They'd be blue if the others were nearby. He had to get out of bed and find out where they were, but Bella hummed as she snuggled closer. Tucking her head under his chin and intertwining her legs with his, she almost made him forget that they could have three spirits suddenly appear and watch them sleep.

That shit was creepy, for whatever reason.

He pulled away enough to check for the time on one of their phones on the nightstand. She moved along with him, not allowing him the chance to gather a measure of control. "It's not even fucking dawn," he groaned, her lips sampling the sensitive skin over the pulse on his neck. "We might have an audience." She laughed, the sound making him moan again. His arms tightened around her, and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"You're right," she said, her fingers tracing delicate patterns on his chest. "The spell I put up will wear off in a few more minutes."

"Spell?" he asked as he pulled back to look at her. She wouldn't meet his eyes, so he lifted her chin up with his thumb.

"It doesn't always work. If I'm feeling awful, or I'm too exhausted the spells won't last long." She shrugged. "Most of the time I have no idea what I'm doing. The knowledge, I think comes from my past lives. Like when I said as I child I started talking in Latin, without even studying the language. It's sort of instinctual."

"You said last night that you can turn it off if you're drunk," he said, trying not to react outwardly by her confession. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to be her situation. To not know what your capable of until the right moment.

"Yes, that still is true, for the most part. I told you that in case you needed some time to yourself. I'm not always going to be with you when you want a break—" He pressed his lips to hers, cutting her off.

The idea of her being away from him didn't sit well with him. Who had her back? Edward had his ghostly companions to make sure he would be okay, and everything Bella told him indicated that she was on her own. She had acquaintances, but not the kind of friends that would drop everything to be there for her.

"How long do we have?" he asked, his lips brushing over her warm cheek. She was blushing and it pleased him more than he thought possible. Her eyes closed, though he wasn't sure if it was to check whatever magic she weaved or because of what he was doing to her. The way her hips undulated against his, indicated the latter.

 _Fuck yeah._

"A few minutes," she whispered, her words broken by the hitch in her breath. He smiled against her cheek, because he had her right where he wanted her. There was nothing wrong with taking advantage of a few moments alone to make out. After though, he intended to get her to talk more. Before he had a chance to follow through with his plans, Bella turned the tables on him and had his body pinned beneath hers.

"What the fuck?" he asked stupidly, his hands stretched overhead. The lacy bra she wore was teasing him, and he tried to roll them again, but she was stronger than he realized. Her laughter was contagious, their kissing breathless and a little on the sloppy side. Every time she pulled away to breathe, he'd follow her up, keeping their bodies as close as possible. Her hips rolled over his, her fingers skimming down his arms and cradling his face. Her mouth was soft and tasted a little like mint. "When did you get out of bed?" She only gave him a small smile, pressing her incredible lips to his awaiting mouth. His next groan was deeper and he hated that their time was almost up. Their hands roamed over exposed skin, teasing the rest that they couldn't see.

They were lost.

"Should we tell them we can see them now?" James asked in a stage whisper. Edward cursed, his hands squeezing Bella's ass one last time. She hid her face against his neck and shoulder, and he sought privacy in her hair. "Grab that booty, Edward!" Edward reached for the comforter and pulled it over them.

"For goodness sakes," Shelley hissed, pulling James away by the ear toward the bedroom door. "I can't watch this. I'll be downstairs." Edward closed his eyes and held Bella closer, keeping her covered as much as possible.

"You're such a fucking prude, Shel," Jane called out, her voice closer than the others did.

Edward opened one eye slightly, yelping when Jane was in his face. "What the hell, Jane?"

"Yeah, what he said. What the hell?" Bella sat up, pouting at the ghost. They glared each other for a bit, but her face softened after a few seconds. "I'll see what I can do." She jumped from bed and made her way toward the bathroom without another word to Edward. Dressed only in her underwear, he couldn't look away. It made him want to run after her and suggest they share a shower for water conservation.

"What was that about?" he asked Jane, sitting up and grabbing his shirt from the floor. He lost what modesty he had when it came to his nudity, since they were always around. That didn't mean he was comfortable with them watching him masturbate or have sex. The few times they caught him with his hand down his pants, they had left immediately, usually. He wasn't sure if they were there or not, and that thought usually killed his erection.

"I asked if she could check on my family," she said, shrugging. "Those cop friends of hers are already near where I'm buried. I'm sorry for barging in, but whatever she did was really fucking weird."

He rose from bed and slipped into his jeans. "What do you mean?"

"It was like a bubble was around the whole fucking house and driveway, not just you and her." Jane started to do the pace-glade she did when she was upset. He wasn't sure what to think about her staying when she had a chance to move on. "Right after you fell asleep she got up and conjured the spell. It was like you suddenly disappeared."

He rubbed his face, still tired. Though he slept for a few hours, he could use a few more. "She already said she put up a spell to give us a break." Jane said nothing as he walked over to the dresser that had a mirror. He looked like shit; the bags under his eyes were still dark. His hair was a mess and stuck up on one side. "I need to grab one of my bags and shower." He tested his breath, relieved that it didn't smell rank.

Bella exited the adjacent bathroom partially dressed and stared at them when they said nothing. "I don't have the answers you seek. Sometimes, and it will happen often, I act on instinct. My priority will always be to protect you and the others. I know it's a lot to ask, but for now you have to trust that I would never hurt you…intentionally."

"But you can hurt us?" Jane asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. She levitated in place in front of Bella, making sure she appeared taller. The young spirit was going for intimidation. The problem was that Bella had something about her that commanded attention and respect, tinged with healthy dose of fear. She was fucking glowing blue, too, which was going to take to get used to for him.

"Think about what I can do," Bella said, lifting her arm up for them to see. Before their eyes her hand appeared transparent, her fingers mere shadows as they waved to them. Edward felt the energy shift as she pushed outward with her ghostly hand. "Now imagine my hand turning corporeal, to flesh and bone, inside a human."

The words painted a horrific picture in his mind, her hand holding a bloody organ, still pumping out blood. It was a warning, one of many reasons to walk away. She left the room, leaving more questions than answers behind her. Edward believed she answered one of those questions with that demonstration. She had killed before.

Every instinct he had was to follow her, but instead he walked into the bathroom not surprised to find his bag with clothes inside the room. He needed a little time to himself, because he had to decide if he was going to walk away from Bella before it was too late, afraid it already was.

* * *

 **AN: I want to wish Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate. To the others, I hope you have an awesome day! As for the most asked question I got for the last chapter, the thing about Bella chaining herself to a chair, you will find out why eventually. Just keep in mind that she would do something like that to protect herself and others.**

 **The response to this has been amazing, thank you!**

 **I'm working on the next chapter of Punch Me, its almost done and over 9k. Thinking of dividing into two chapters, but posting one after the other. Makes it easier to read on my phone when people do that. I hope you won't mind. Okay off to buy a few groceries for tomorrow in Hellmart. Its going to be a madhouse.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

* * *

Bella cursed as she made her way to the kitchen. It almost felt like a walk of shame, not for fucking and ducking, but because she hadn't handled waking up with Edward well. The part of being in his arms wasn't the problem. It was the fact that she enjoyed it in the first place that was the issue. He had a way about him that made her want to spill all her secrets. It was something she hadn't done in a long time, and for good reason. The last time she shared a fraction of what she had already shared with Edward, had sent her ex running.

 _Good fucking riddance, he was an asshole._

The little demonstration in the bedroom was a warning, and a way to protect herself. If he left now, before they were more involved, it would hurt less. At least she tried to tell herself that. She had to make Edward understand her capabilities, though some would help keep him safe, others could hurt him. Before the horrifying memories of the one time she lost all sense of control had a chance to resurface, she beat them back into the perimeter in her mind, the shadowy place that often tried to overtake her if she allowed it.

It was for the best, she told herself. She didn't sound convincing, even to herself. He was like her and could understand a little of what she was going through. The little voice in her head tried to tell her that Edward wasn't _anything_ like her, the whispered words coming from the deepest recesses of her mind. It tried to remind her that she'd fuck him up like everything and everyone had passed through her life.

She stilled in the middle of the hallway, her reflection in the glass of a framed photo, alarmed her. Dark veins bled from the corners of her eyes, toward her pupils. Her control was slipping, again. She allowed her body to relax, shaking out the tension through the tips of her fingers. It was harder than it used to be, but picturing Edward and the way it felt to be in his arms seemed to help take the edge off.

She opened her eyes to find them clear in the reflection once again.

Exhaling sharply, she walked into the kitchen, determined to start on breakfast. It was the least she could do for Edward, and she was starving. A night of ghost hunting had the tendency to increase her appetite for several hours, at least.

She started on some French toast, coffee, and bacon, humming to a new song she heard on the radio. It wasn't too long before she felt _them_ : it was time to face the firing squad. They had given her some time to calm down after her little display in the bedroom, though a healthy dose of fear of the unknown and anger proved a potent mix in their scattered thoughts. Even as spirits, their emotions rolled off them in waves, bombarding her hard enough to stun her.

"Enough." Her voice carried throughout the room, a lethal edge in her tone.

They eased away, even the thoughts they broadcasted so loudly, were only a murmur. At the counter, with Bella's back facing Edward's ghostly companions, she checked that the cuts and bruises the handcuffs usually left behind were gone. They were still raw, so she concentrated long enough to phase her hands, wrists, and forearms. The phantom tingle reminded her of what amputee patients have said they felt even months after losing a limb.

Shelley cleared her throat, an unnecessary act meant to grab Bella's attention once again. They would learn that she would always know when they were near. If Edward didn't make a run for it, they'd get a chance to know more about her.

Her hands melted back into flesh and bone, the skin around her wrists now a soft pink, no more raw cuts. A few more phases and they would return to normal.

James was the next to try to get her attention. "Bella, uh, is it all right to call you that?"

"Oh hell," Jane hissed and Bella could imagine her eye roll. They were scared of her, for good reasons. "She's not going to bite your head off! Bella, can you give us a bit of your fucking precious time?" The anger in Jane's tone didn't surprise Bella in the least. However, when she allowed a spirit to walk all over her, it often had come with a price. One she had already paid, a lesson she'd never want to repeat.

Bella swirled around, allowing the darkness to bleed back into her eyes. They cowered away, though Jane hated how she had to step back. Bella's chest rose and fell harshly, her throat tight with anxiety. One wrong move and someone could get hurt.

"Are you fucking possessed?" Jane asked, as her lip curled in distaste.

"Watch yourself. I will only tolerate so much, talk to me like that again and I'll send you packing through the veil."

"Hey," James said, stepping in front of Jane. The girl held up her chin, but Bella saw the fear in her blue eyes before she was able to pull it back. "She's concerned, we all are. Now answer the question, are you possessed?"

She had to admit, they had balls, and Edward deserved nothing less. They heard of some of the things she'd done, what she was capable of, yet they stood up to her, all in the name of protecting someone they loved.

"That's a very good question," Edward said, leaning a shoulder against a nearby wall. Bella hadn't even heard him, having been too concerned with the others and healing herself to hide her nightly wounds. She made the mistake of looking at him. He was fresh from a shower, dressed in well-worn jeans and a rumpled grey t-shirt. "One I'd like to hear the answer to."

His words snapped her out of her Edward induced haze. Feeling cornered, Bella did what she did best. Lash out. "All of you get out."

After showering, Edward set out to find Bella, but he hadn't expected to find James, Jane, and Shelley going toe-to-toe with her. He didn't exactly blame her for being upset, three ghosts stood in front of her, trying to instill fear with their darker appearances.

He swallowed thickly, realizing Bella was serious. She delivered the words in a soft voice that was equally defeated as it was detached. Between the night before, finding each other, and the others ganging up on her, she had finally reached a point that she'd rather run than stick around.

Tough fucking shit.

"No," he said, stalking toward her slowly. "What's for breakfast?"

"Didn't you hear me?" she seethed, her lips thinning further. An incredible feat considering how full her mouth was, and despite his anger, he still wanted to taste her again.

"Kind of hard not to when I'm looking right at you," he said, kissing her cheek on the way to the coffeemaker. "What some coffee?" She huffed behind him, but otherwise, seemed speechless. He found mugs in the cabinet over the fancy coffeemaker. Once he fixed his cup, he turned and leaned against the counter.

His casual denial to her request deserved a pat on the back for actually stunning her. She'd been doing that to him since they met, it was time to level the playing field. He hummed as he drank from his cup, watching her over the rim. The darkness he'd seen in her eyes had receded, completely gone. He had a feeling she hadn't expected his reaction.

Dressed in off shoulder long-sleeved sweater and from the look of it, not much else, she was temptation incarnate. A wet dream come true for him, the possibility of exploring the chemistry between them could prove explosive. Beyond that, Edward had an overwhelming need to protect her.

The transformation from a defensive Bella, to a more vulnerable one was alarming. It almost seemed like she was another person. The sharp angles of her face when angry, softened, until what was left was a woman looking confused by new emotions.

"Can you do that again?" she asked softly, watching him warily. He cocked an eyebrow, silently asking her to elaborate. "Kiss me, please." Her back wasn't as straight and defensive as before, so why the sudden change?

Edward glanced at the others, each of them unsure and confused. He shrugged and placed his cup on the counter. As he stepped toward her, he felt the room chill dramatically, the air cackled with energy around him. The others voiced their concerns, but he ignored them for the moment, watching as Bella's eyes started to turn black again, much like Jane's had the night before.

He lifted his hands, cradling her face before pushing her against the counter behind her, their bodies flush. Her skin was scorching hot, and he felt the thrum of her pulse under his palms. Her eyes were a violent storm of fire and whiskey, but the black had diminished the moment he touched her. For whatever reason, he felt triumphant, even if he didn't understand why. She closed the distance, kissing him none too gently. Despite the audience, he couldn't help but sample her top lip with the tip of his tongue. She pulled away after a few seconds, and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I'm sorry that I told you to go. I'm just scared." The shiver that ran through her punctuated her confession. He kissed the top of her head, his hands settling at the small of her back. "I want to tell you everything, just give me time to get used to the idea."

"We understand your fears, we have some, too. You haven't answered the question though," Shelley stated. Her attention wasn't on Edward and Bella, but on her knitting project. "Are you possessed?"

Edward hated how much Bella's body tensed in his arms. She was the first to pull away, averting her eyes.

"I don't believe I am, since nothing demonic could pass through the walls of my house." She looked at Edward and then at the others. "I don't know why I have the powers I do or why my eyes turn black like those that are possessed or spirits on the verge of losing their souls, I have a few ideas though."

"Did you want some coffee first?" Edward asked again. She told him how she liked it, thanking him when he handed her a cup. "What are they?"

The others remained in the room, but kept to other side, away from Edward and Bella.

"That maybe I'm not entirely human," she said softly, turning her attention to making breakfast again. Edward joined her and helped with the bacon. She told them how she had her DNA tested more than once, only for the samples to disappear, every single time. Someone didn't want her testing it. How that was possible, she wasn't sure. It explained why her anger about the anonymous benefactor continued to grow. They could be the reason she couldn't find answers. They could be watching her. "Or maybe that I've been cursed in a previous life and my soul won't be allowed to rest until I b-break it."

The catch in her voice was hard to hear, but accompanied with the defeated look in her eyes, it hurt like hell. Needing a moment of levity, Edward couldn't help himself.

"There's another possibility," Edward said, his lips quirking up on one side.

Bella's eyes narrowed in on him. "What's that?"

"That you were created entirely by midichlorians." He said it with a straight face and a half-shrug. Her eyes nearly fell out of her head when he started to laugh, but soon joined him. Their laughs were the kind that used up every muscle in their faces and stomachs. That was until he realized Bella turned serious, like if she was taking his words as consideration.

"I'm not the chosen one, Edward. The force is not strong with me."

"You knew that?" He looked thoroughly pleased with the possibility that she understood the reference.

"Of course I know Star Wars. You do remember Anakin was turned to the dark side." She rolled her eyes, but as she continued to make breakfast, Edward swore he could see the gears in her head turning.

"Talk to me, Bella."

"There was a note on my hospital records," she whispered, shaking her head a little. "I had no trauma, even a week after birth; a baby's body had telltale signs of his or her birth. The fact that I had none made the doctors and authorities think that someone cut me out of my mother's stomach. What you said made me think about it, that's all."

They said nothing for a while, just working together to finish breakfast.

"I just realized that you probably don't even know when your birthday is," he said, reaching out for her. He slowly slid his hand down the middle of her back, relishing on how his touch seemed to soothe her again. "Do you have an approximate date?"

"September 13th," she said quietly. "Not that I celebrate it."

He leaned toward her, trying to get her to meet his eyes again. She did, but only briefly. "Why is that?"

"I don't have friends." She turned and brushed her palm over his cheek, no doubt feeling the stubble that shadowed his jaw. Her skin was soft and warm, despite the chill to the room. They were well aware of the others, but they only watched and listened for the answers they all wanted to hear. "People don't tend to stick around, Edward."

"Which is why you try to send them away first?"

"It usually works." She turned off the stove after sliding the last slice of French toast on a plate. "There have been a lot of people that come and go in my life, there's only so much heartache a person can take. After the last time, I promised myself not to get attached to anyone."

"I don't want to be just anyone." He helped her get everything to the small nook just off the kitchen, happy to find some sunlight warming up the area through the bay of windows. The bistro table and chairs were perfect for just the two of them. "Let's eat and talk."

"Before we go back to twenty questions, we need to decide how we're handling the whole Jane's body thing," Bella scooped up some bacon, humming as she chewed. "We can't exactly tell the family what do."

"Does it matter what they do to it?" Jane asked, appearing in the middle of the table, only the top half of her body visible.

"You decided to stick around," Bella said, tipping her head toward Edward. "To make sure he's okay, but if they burn it, it could cause you to forcibly crossover."

"Oh." Jane pouted and walked through the table to hover behind Edward's shoulder. "But I'm not attached to it, I think."

"Sometimes it can still happen," Bella murmured, meeting each of their gazes, including Edward's dark green eyes. "You are all aware of the fact that being around Edward so much can hurt him, right?"

Edward's eyes widened, confirming one of her fears. There was so much he didn't know, and she hoped he'd be in her life long enough to learn a few things.

"What do you mean?" Edward asked, since the others seemed afraid to. "They're within a hundred yards of me all the time."

"Spirits can manipulate the energy around them," she said, as if it explained everything. In a way it did, except they seemed clueless. "Every time they manifest and manipulate things, like move something, they drain energy from everything around them, including you to do it."

"I know that, but I don't feel sick or anything," Edward hissed under his breath, his tone defensive. "They wouldn't hurt me."

"You wouldn't notice if it's done slowly over time," she said, shaking her head. "I've seen it before. It leads to insomnia, loss of appetite, and sometimes depression. Not to mention that this can't last forever, spirits as strong as you three can over time lose your humanity. You can become the things written in supernatural horror stories, and what you've seen Irina turn into last night. She only became what she was so fast because she was angry and she allowed it to eat way at her soul."

Edward looked at the others. He noticed over the years that they had retained their personalities from their lives, well, Shelley and James did. Jane hadn't remembered what she was like before. "How long does that take?"

"Does what take? You mean before they kill you or _before they kill you_?"

"Ha ha," James said, sitting beside Bella's plate on the table. They had manners of children sometimes. "You're hilarious. We've been with him for five years, Bella. If we haven't killed him yet, we won't."

"Do you ever think of hurting someone? Has there been a time that you're so damn angry that you could kill them? Has that happened more often in the last few years?" Bella's eyes landed on Jane.

"Fuck this," Jane hissed and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Bella huffed, rose up from her chair, and reached out with a transparent hand, latching onto something. Jane struggled in Bella's ghostly grasp.

"Please listen," Bella said, letting Jane go.

Edward didn't know what to say or do. His instinct was to protect Jane and the others. "Bella, that wasn't necessary."

"I'm trying to make a point," Bella said. "I'm sorry for forcing you to come back, but I need to get this out." No one said another word, and it wasn't until Edward started to eat again that she resumed. "It could be as early as tomorrow or not for another decade. You all have to face that fact that we don't know everything about the worlds we live in. I told you before that Charlie stuck around after he died, to make sure I was okay. The problem was that I wasn't for a long time and it took a toll on him. His worry turned to hate, and his anger continued to build with every rejection I got from a family. It wasn't until he forced his way into a man to try and take care of me himself that I had to send him away."

"He possessed someone?" Shelley asked, for once her knitting needles appeared lifeless as she listened. "They call it riding where I'm from," she ignored James and Jane's snorts, "Sometimes the original host of the body is completely aware, and sometimes they're not."

"What did you do to Charlie?" James asked Bella, his eyes a mix of blue and green, reminding her of Edward a little. "Was it like what you did to Irina?"

"We burned the thing she was attached to, and that was by force. That was probably gentler than when I have to force one to crossover the really hard way. For Charlie though, I created an opening in the veil that led to his next destination, I just happen to push him inside."

"What happened to the man that he possessed?" Edward pushed his almost empty plate away, any other day he would've finished it. He couldn't imagine being in Bella's shoes, despite the fact that they could both communicate with the dead. "Did he remember anything?"

"He did, but pretended he didn't and left. Never saw him again." She shrugged and rose to her feet in the need of more coffee. "We got off topic again. Okay, we need to find out if they're cremating Jane's body, but it'll be a while before we know that. For now, we stay away from your family, Jane. Alec and Tanya are too open to the possibility of you and others like you, they'd probably see you as clear as I do."

They all agreed, but Jane insisted that they call Alec later to check in on them.

Edward decided it was time to leave the house for a bit. "I know you're housesitting, any chance you're willing to meet my friend Jasper?"

"That's a good idea," Shelley stated, she was the calmest of the group. She reminded Bella a little of her grandmother.

James leaned toward Bella. "He's sort of the Giles to our Scooby Gang." Did that make her Buffy? She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"If anyone can figure out those marks, it would be Jasper." Jane tossed her hair over her shoulder and smiled. "Wonder if he'll like my new look."

Shelley rolled her eyes, and returned her attention to her project. It looked like an afghan, in different shades of green, reminding Bella of Edward's eyes.

James coughed a few times, "Doubt it." Jane shot him a lethal look and Bella watched his eyes roll out of his head. "Damn it, Jane! They feel dirty when they fall out." He scrambled for them, trying to pick spiritual dust off them.

"Do you ever get used to this?" she asked Edward when he joined her by the sink to wash their dishes a few minutes later.

"Not really," he said. "It's never boring." He hip-checked her and smiled. "You kind of fit in perfectly." She couldn't think of anything to say to that, and a little warmth curled around her heart. No one had ever said that to her before, and she welcomed the thought of fitting in. She felt Edward shift closer, his lips kissing her exposed shoulder, getting her full attention. "Where did you go?"

"I think I'm figuring out that it'll take a little more than a few parlor tricks to get you to run away."

"I'm not going anywhere." He wrapped his arm around her waist, pressing his lips to the side of her neck. She nearly melted when his tongue slid over her pulse, her eyes rolling back in pleasure.

"Hey, Bella," Jane called out from across the room, bursting their little bubble. They stepped away from each other, their cheeks heating. It was cute on Edward. "I need to know one thing?"

"What's that?" She glanced at Edward, noticing the look of concern in his eyes. The others were huddled together, as if they'd been talking among themselves.

"If one of us ever reaches the point of no return, and Edward can't let us go, you'll protect him from us, right?"

Edward's face neutralized, though it was hard to miss the tick in his jaw. Before he had a chance to say something, Bella answered, "Yes."

"Good," Jane replied, gesturing toward the others. "We'll give you guys a few hours alone."

"Thank you," she said quietly, concerned that Edward had yet to say anything about her answer to Jane's question. They finished with the dishes and cleaned the rest of the kitchen in silence. The moment the counter was spotless and she had dried her hands, Edward reached for her, lifted her onto the counter, and stepped between her parted thighs.

Surprised by the move, she had to shake her head to counter the wave of dizziness. She'd have to warn him that for a few days after phasing so much, she needed time to recover. Once the room stopped spinning, she looked at him, but found that he gaze was on her chest or lap. His arms wrapped loosely around her hips.

"Edward?" She ran her fingers through his soft, slightly damp hair. It was hard to describe the colors, other than all the colors of fall. He wouldn't look at her. "Edward?"

When he finally looked into her eyes, the anguish in them stabbed her in the heart. "Don't hurt me."

She pulled him closer, until his forehead rested on her shoulder. "Oh, Edward." It was the last thing she wanted to do, but she couldn't make any promises.

"If you hurt them, you hurt me." He looked at her again. "Tell me you won't hurt them. That you'll do what you can to save them if they start going dark." She cupped his face, her fingers brushing his cheek and jaw. Her lips moved over his gently, it was sweeter than a mouthful of lies.

* * *

 **AN: Just to clear any possible confusion, Midiclorians are part of the Star Wars world. They're are intelligent microscopic life that live symbiotically within living things. In sufficient numbers, they can help detect the Force. Anakin Skywalker (aka Darth Vader) is believed to be created by the by these microscopic life. Sorry, I have SW on the brain, Edward had to say something to lighten the mood.**

 **Don't worry, Bella isn't a Jedi.**

 **A case is going to fall into their hands in the next chapter. I did the angry ex-wife, what next?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

* * *

For several minutes Edward and Bella kissed on the kitchen counter, oblivious to anything but each other. At least that was the case until the grandfather clock in the living room chimed the hour. They had places to go, people to meet, one in particular. Jasper wasn't the most patient person.

"We should go," Edward whispered, his mouth lingering along the edge of her jaw. Bella's lips were swollen and the area surrounding them was sensitive due to his stubble. Her heels dug into his ass in an attempt to hold him captive, not that he wanted to let her go. There wasn't anywhere he'd rather be than right there.

The kitchen had warmed considerably when the others left, but it was the woman that tested his control with a nip and tug of his bottom lip that made him groan aloud.

Her laughter made him smile, infinitely better than the dread that creeped up on him after the others left. It was there in the forefront of his mind, and that wasn't fair to Bella. The thought of Jane, James, and Shelley leaving him behind completely terrified him. What would he do without them?

"Let me go get ready and we'll go see this Jasper guy." Bella leaned closed and squeezed his ass, humming softly, not in any hurry. "It's a damn shame we have to go though."

Edward thought the same thing, but he also didn't want to jump in too quickly with her. She was used to people leaving her, and for her to trust that he planned on sticking around, they had to take it a little slow. It would be difficult, there was no doubt about that. He kissed her again, nipping at the corner of her mouth. "We'll make time to be shameful later."

That earned him another laugh and kiss that almost made him rethink his priorities. It hardly helped that she seemed to love touching him. She offered another suggestion before he could change his mind. "We can grab some food after, maybe come back here and play some pool."

Something in her voice suggested it would be an interesting pool game. His hand slowly ran down the middle of her back, earning a sweet moan from her. "That sounds like the perfect fucking afternoon."

"We can post the video on YouTube when we get back, hopefully we managed to get some kickass footage."

That reminded her of something she said. "If we're planning on working together, there's a chance your identity could be compromised." She had asked him the night before to blur out her face and change the sound of her voice if needed. "Are you hiding from someone?"

Bella shrugged, wincing. "Not on the run kind of hiding. I try not to stay in the same area for long, mostly to keep this 'anonymous benefactor' from keeping tabs on me. Sometimes I work under the table, other times I work at most six months and move on. This was the longest I'd stayed, a little over three years. After I lost my grandmother, I still couldn't leave. I kind of fell in love with area."

"I can't imagine living like that," Edward stated, his brow tightening as his hand cradled the back of her neck. "You should be able to do what you please without constantly looking over your shoulder. Maybe it's time you did something to get this benefactor's attention, get him or her to come out of hiding."

"Uploading the video, if it captured anything, would be the first step. Though I didn't do much this time. Not sure if I glowed enough. I don't post videos of myself, just the paranormal incidents." She pushed him a little back, jumping down from the counter. "How good are you with computers?"

His lips kicked up on one side, feeling confident of his skills. What else was there to do during high school for a gangly, pimple-faced nerd.

"That good, huh?" she teased, tugging on his shirt. Her fingers danced up his tattooed arms, and though she seemed to want to study them, she stayed on subject. "There's a damn good chance whoever it is that keeps tabs on me is going to take down any videos of me. Whoever it is, doesn't want me to over expose myself, which makes little sense considering he or she asked my grandmother to allow me to explore my gifts. Talk about mixed messages."

Edward couldn't help but chuckle at her babbling. When she was nervous she had the tendency to talk too fast and mostly in one breath. "You're cute when you're flustered."

She did her best to look upset, but ultimately failed.

"Sorry, once I get an idea in my head I run with it. And you're right," she said, placing her hands on her hips. "Maybe it's time to force him or her out."

"I might be able to help you out with the DNA testing, too." He slipped his hand around hers, leading the way toward the guest bedroom they shared. It wasn't the best idea for them to be in the same room as a bed, but it was clear that Bella's desire had taken a back seat.

It was for the best, he reminded himself.

"My uncle, he's a doctor. We can always ask him, and if I tell him how important it is, he could just run the samples himself."

"You'd do that for me?" Bella stopped him just inside the bedroom, tugging on his hand. "Does he know what you can do?"

Edward had to look away, hating the guilt he felt for how little he'd seen his family since James died. "He knows, but not that I can see James." His gaze landed on her again, her smile gone. "How am I supposed to tell him that his son is haunting me?"

"I don't blame you for not sharing that." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Edward, I know we've talked about this, but I've seen spirits turn and it's brutal. I don't want you to see someone you love like James, Jane, and Shelley do that."

He wasn't ready to dive deep into that subject, but he had to ask for something.

"I understand where you're coming from, look at Irina, she turned within hours after my first encounter with her. I get it, but I'm asking you to tell me at the first sign of trouble."

"Jane is a concern," she answered softly, walking toward the closet. It was hard to keep his eyes from wandering further south than her back, but he managed. "She's quick to anger and that spells trouble. After getting her memories back, it has to be hard for her to keep herself under control. Not that I blame her considering her past."

"Five years, Bella," he said from behind. Unable to stay away from her, not with her half naked, he wrapped an arm around her as she looked through her clothes. He settled his chin on the top of her head, earning a playful huff of irritation. "James said he couldn't find me until I woke up almost twenty-four hours after the accident. Shelley, she was an old teacher that never gave up on me growing up. She once promised that she'd always watch out for me. She had died of a heart attack earlier the week of the accident, roaming the halls of the hospital until I was rushed into the ER."

"I understand," Bella said, turning to look up at him. "I have my best friend following me around, unless I'm on a case."

"What?" His hold on her tightened, but shifted her around. "You gave us a lecture about befriending spirits and you have one."

"Yeah, she's not with me all day though like your companions. She's well aware of what can happen to me if she's with me twenty-four-seven. She's been dead for about a year, has every intention of moving on soon. I didn't take her murder well."

Edward's thoughts ran through a series of memories, linking things she and others had said to local news. "Tanya mentioned someone named Vicky, that you took time off from giving lessons at the gym because of what happened to her. The serial killer, uh—" he snapped his fingers a few times, pacing as his mind raced. "What was his name? Something stupid the media made up…"

"The Nightingale Killer," Bella replied, her words making him stop. The color in Edward's face drained. Had he figured it out?

"His last victim was named Victoria," Edward said, though she could see he was still trying to put everything. "He died before they could build a solid case against him, of a h-heart attack." He looked nauseous, she led him to the foot of the bed, keeping her distance once he was seated. "You killed him."

Deciding she had to get ready, she returned her attention to getting dressed. It would help distract her as she explained.

"He was going to walk, everyone knew it. What do you expect from a former forensic student? Top of his class, until his mother was too sick to take care of herself. He had to quit school, had to work to pay for her care. In the end, it was what ultimately killed her. The facility wasn't as good as he had hoped. A virus broke out, making several residents in the nursing home very sick, including his mother. She developed complications and died. He went after the nurses and doctors associated with the facility, didn't matter that they had nothing to do with his mother's death, he still killed seven nurses and one doctor. Vicky worked there for a total of fourteen days before she quit, she didn't like the shortcuts her boss was taking to save money, even reported a complaint against the nursing home. He still went after her."

"There was little evidence from what I remember." Edward didn't know what else to say, only that he now knew why she tried to scare him away. She was really capable of killing someone, and she had. "He was on a long list of suspects, and some of the DNA evidence pointed to a former disgruntled employee."

"I killed him and a fissure in the ground opened up to take him to hell or wherever," she said, shrugging. "At least that's what I would call what I saw, he escaped its gasp."

"Did he haunt you?"

Her hand lifted to the cut on her forehead, the one that kept opening up the night before, the other moving toward her bruised ribs. The moves were unconscious.

"Up until a week ago, yes." She turned away from him, lifting her sweater off and slipping on a bra. There was no hesitation in her moves, she just kept getting ready in front of him like it was nothing. It was almost robotic, as if she hadn't remembered she had an audience. Or didn't care. "It took a while for me to get a hold of him, because he always tried to attack when I was the most vulnerable."

"Bella," Edward whispered, the soft quality of his voice seemed to make her knees give out. He was there to catch her, pulling her against his chest. His lips touched her ear, soft murmurs of comfort as he settled them on a nearby chair. "You did what you had to do. I don't think I'd be able to stop myself from going after someone that killed a loved one."

"What gives me the right to take a life?" She held back the tears, but it was quickly becoming a losing battle. "I killed a man that had another thirty years left in him, at least. Maybe if I tried harder, I could've found the evidence the police needed to make the arrest. Leave the punishing to the justice system."

"And explain it how? You and I both know that working with the police isn't fucking easy. Whatever explanation you have, they can't always put in a report. You killed a monster, Bella. There's a thin line that you walk, I won't lie about that. Sometimes you do what you have to do to save people. If you hadn't killed him how many more nurses would he have killed?"

"The facility employees about thirty-three at any given time," she said, trying to take in a full breath. Her chest was tight, it hurt to breathe. She hadn't realized she was having a panic attack, had been for several minutes. Her hands gripped onto something tightly, as she attempted to gather some control. She heard a frantic voice, but the distant quality to it made her think that he was leaving. "Edward! Don't go! Come b-back, c-come back."

"Bella, Bella, look at me." Edward tried to shift her so that she'd see he was still there. Her eyes were clenched shut, and from the ragged edge to her words, he knew that it pained her to talk. Did she have panic attacks often? Who was there to help her when they happened?

Handling her carefully, he rose to his feet and carried her toward the bed. She was shivering, warming her up was the only thing he could think up to try first. The second he wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, she melted against his chest.

"I'm f-fine." It was a lie and they both knew it. He held her until she fell into an exhausted sleep, wondering if he was capable of helping her carry the burden. Burying his face in her soft hair, he knew he wanted to be that for her.

.

.

.

Edward fell in between a mild state of awareness and sleep. Bella woke up with a start a couple of hours later, and he tried to soothe her to lay back.

"Jasper needs help, he's going to call," she said groggily, yawning a little. She settled back onto the pillow, wrapping an arm around him.

Edward had called Jasper shortly after Bella had fallen asleep, promising to stop by later or the next day. He held her close and told her that he'd already spoken to his friend.

"He's going to call, so we need to go." She pressed her lips to chin, and then his mouth. Before he could deepen the kiss, she was out of bed just as his cell phone rang. At the foot of bed, she watched him, waiting for him to freak out or something.

He offered her a smile as he answered, watching as she started to get dressed. Her body was fucking phenomenal, and she moved with a grace he'd only seen in dancers, not that he knew many.

"Edward," Jasper said, something in his voice put him instantly on alert. He listened to his friend, a man that rarely rose his voice, talk frantically and loudly. After promising to meet him, he rose from bed and watched Bella's shoulders curl forward, her back facing him near the closet.

She waiting for him to leave without her.

"I'm not going anywhere, Bella. Not without you." He made his way toward her, skimming his fingers down her arm and resting a hand on her hip. The moment she relaxed, he kissed her temple. "You're actually not the only one I know that can predict things, you know?"

She looked at him from over her shoulder, a little pout on her lips. "Really?" He nodded, a little amused by her reaction. She had to know that there were others with some of their gifts. Rare as they may be. "My cousin Alice, you'll meet her one day. Jasper and me" She cocked an eyebrow at the last one. "It's true."

Confused, she seemed to want clarification. As if he was looking into their future, he closed his eyes. He hummed and even groaned a little. "I predict some kissing and groping in our future, even a little nipple action. Fuck, you're a wild cat, baby."

She punched him in the gut, not hard, but enough to make him cough.

"Don't you forget it," she purred, slapping his ass on the way out of the room.

Proud that he made her laugh, she looked a little better. No longer vulnerable and scared, ready for whatever came next.

Was he?

.

.

.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Bella said from the passenger seat of her car. She'd been quiet since they left the house.

"You never have to apologize for having a panic attack, you have little to no control over them." He shrugged, but felt her eyes on him. Unsure of what he'd see in her eyes, he turned up the stereo and tapped his fingers to the beat.

"You've had panic attacks before," she said, though it was delivered as a fact and not a question. "I wasn't talking about that, but thank you for helping me work through it. I was talking about waking up the way I did. I don't have moments like that often, where I can see things before they happen. In fact, it's very rare, which could mean it's important. That usually means dangerous."

"Other than being a demonologist, my friend is a big history buff. He mostly works with historical homes and buildings, and with the local preservation society. His latest research is on a property just outside of the city, I'm not sure of any historical significance though."

"How did he sound?"

"Frantic, maybe manic, which says a lot since Jasper is pretty laid back most of the time."

"Did he offer anything else?"

"Not much, just that the police had finally allowed them permission to clean up and start the preservation of the property as planned."

"The police?" She pulled out her phone and asked for the address where they were meeting Jasper later. Within seconds, she was cursing. "Oh fuck."

"What is it?"

"The property belonged to Caius Lexington, aka The Nightingale Killer."

* * *

 **AN: Sorry for the delay, had to figure out how this case will play out before we get there. I appreciate each and every one of your reviews, and I'm doing my best to answer questions that won't give away the story. See you soon. Off to shop *cries*  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

* * *

"We're heading to property that once belonged to the serial killer that once haunted you." Edward was well aware of how stupid he sounded, basically repeating what she'd said. He couldn't help himself. The information had the chance of being off the charts scale big to him, to her.

Them.

"Yes, though none of his victims were found there. The leads on the case believed that the victims were killed in a different location and then taken to their homes to be found. They didn't find the property during the investigation until he died. I haven't heard if they confirmed that he killed them there, only that they found evidence that he was the killer. Vicky doesn't remember much about the _where,_ just his face, and that it was considerably dark when she woke up. The police had the place locked tight, according to this news article, so it's possible."

"But we have nothing to worry about, right? Even if he killed them there, he's gone."

"He's gone, there's not a doubt in my mind about that," Bella whispered, and he caught the way she shuddered at whatever her words had conjured in her mind. Fear had her shoulders curling inward, her arms wrapping tightly around her middle. Whatever she'd seen when she sent the bastard through the veil had to be horrible, something he couldn't imagine.

Edward had to know what had happened the day she confronted a killer and won. He hoped he the tentative trust between them would allow her to tell him soon. It seemed to eat away at her.

"It's the seven other victims that are a different story." Meaning, that like her friend Vicky, there was chance the other victims roamed the property.

"Fuck." His hands tightened around the steering wheel as the gravity of the situation turned up a thousand notches. He'd never dealt with more than one spirit at a time, as far as violent ones. Forget off his chart big, from the worried look in Bella's eyes, this had the potential of being nuclear.

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.

.

Edward ran around the car and opened Bella's door, the shoulder she dislocated was still sore. It should be more than that, but according to her, healing was a side effect of phasing. He still needed to come terms with that information and had promptly changed the subject when she brought it up.

"You ready?" She looked up at him from beneath the hood of her jacket once they were geared up. They were strapped with cameras, each holding digital recorders designed to capture electronic voice phenomena, or EVPs. Edward was also armed with an electronic and magnetic field detector (EMF) that doubled as a thermal reader.

To Edward, Bella appeared ready, but there was a twitch over her right eye that indicated otherwise. That perhaps she was scared. Him on the other hand, he'd love to just go back to the house she was staying at, play pool and forget about reality for a few hours at least.

"I'm getting there," he said. Honesty was the only thing he had to offer, because not knowing the truth about anything important could be bad. "I kind of feel like I've gone from amateur to horror level ghost hunting overnight though."

She cocked an eyebrow, a corner of her mouth lifting up. "Edward, you kind of did." The tip of her finger slipped into the front pocket of his jeans, tugging him closer. "I have some of my own equipment, but at home. We can head over after this, go over the videos."

His hand ran down the length of her arm, his fingers curling around hers. "No, after this, we're taking a small break from all this. Go back to the house and veg out like we've got nothing to do."

The crooked smile remained on her face. "That's all we'll be doing?" From the infliction he heard in her voice, she sounded unsure.

"I don't know. I'm hoping to convince you to make it naked vegging."

She laughed, her free hand settling on his chest, her fingers spreading out like if she owned him a little. It was fast, but he had a feeling she did, at least a small part that was growing with every minute spent together.

"That sounds like the best kind of vegging," she said, looking up at him with kiss me eyes. His hand lifted to shift some hair from her face before he dipped down to press his lips to hers. It wasn't long before he heard the slam of the door coming from the main house on the property. "Show time."

Flushed down to her chest, she cleared her throat to talk. "I'm not great at first impressions." It was delivered as a warning and one he understood. He had already told her about Jasper's perception ability. Not at their level, but it was there.

He squeezed her hip, wishing he could stay in the bubble for a while longer. "I don't know about that. You impressed me when we first met."

"Me or the car?" She was teasing him, heard it in her laugh. Her car was damn impressive.

"Honestly, when you climbed over the console to get your phone, not only did you give me a tantalizing view of your ass, but I got a look down your sweater on the way back."

She tried to act all huffy about his words, smacking his gut a little. To protect himself and just because he wanted to, he hugged her hard enough to make her squeal.

It was too bad the crunch of gravel behind them intruded too soon. "Hey, Edward." Taking a deep breath, he turned toward his friend, Bella's hand in his. Jasper's ice blue eyes were not on him though, or even their clasped hands, but on Bella.

"This is Bella. Bella this is Jasper."

Jasper said nothing, assessing. Edward found it remarkable that Bella remained still as Jasper literally studied her with his eyes. It wasn't creepy like some people had a tendency to do when they stared, but seemed to be important. The wind picked up, sending Jasper's fine, sandy blond hair blowing around. His hands remained in the pockets of his jacket, not because he was rude, but due to his reluctance to touch people. Something he had warned Bella about, and something she understood, too.

"What are you?"

"That's the first thing you have to say," Edward said, rolling his eyes. He looked at Bella, a fire was sparking in her gaze. It was best to prevent an inferno. "He said the same shit to me when we met." It was true, to be fair it wasn't long after his accident.

"He can see auras." It was all she said.

"What, he can?" Edward glanced at Jasper, his nod confirming Bella's words. "You never said anything to me."

"I don't go around announcing that I can see basically see people bleed out color. They'd think I was crazy." A lazy grin slipped into place, making Jasper look more approachable. "I see you can read minds."

"Not exactly," Bella stated with a shrug. "It's more like jumbled, out a sequence images." She pulled her jacket tighter around her. "I don't know what I am, Jasper. You're not the first to indicate that I was something other than human. Right now, let's concentrate on why we're here."

Jasper nodded and from the more relaxed set to his shoulders, Edward knew he was more at ease with Bella's presence. Not an easy feat for most people other than his cousin Alice, Jasper's girlfriend of two years.

"Do you feel it?" Jasper asked, glancing at each of them. Edward shifted away from his friend, but kept Bella by his side. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to relax enough to focus on his surroundings. Bella's fingers started to tighten around his almost immediately. The thickness in the air had the tinge of decay and untold horrors, a scent too hard to describe. Most would take one whiff and would run the other way without knowing why.

"The authorities confirmed he killed them here, didn't they?" Bella said, swaying toward Edward. He was quick to keep her steady. She hadn't been kidding when she once said that she'd pass out if she visited a hospital.

"Yes, today."

Offering Edward a smile that didn't reach her eyes, Bella stepped toward the house on her own, her shoulders squared, determined to find answers. The closer they got to the main house the more the air crackled with an unknown, dark energy.

"Oh my God," Bella cried, her eyes rolling back. Edward stepped closer, in time to catch her from falling. "Oh my God." Her eyes met his, her hands gripping his arms tightly. "Call Detective Riley on my phone. Tell him to get out here now. There's not only seven spirits here."

Jasper cursed behind him. "I knew it, I felt it the moment I stepped in the house. How many more, Bella?"

"At least two dozen more," she gasped, her back arching in Edward's arms, closer to his chest. As if she was trying to get away from something.

Edward didn't get a chance to respond, watching helplessly as her eyes closed, her body going limp, tears falling from behind closed lids.

* * *

 **AN:** **Bella's fine, just overwhelmed, yes I'm aware my cliffhangers are evil.** **I wanted to give you all one chapter before the holidays, before the holiday madness. I might squeeze one in tomorrow, too.**

 **Some of you might be aware that I hit a bad luck bus (very bad luck), and I was at the point that not only presents for Christmas were canceled, but also a trip out to see my sister. Thanks to the generosity of members from this awesome fandom, we don't have to cancel the trip and our movie date, yes Star Wars, lol. The kids are even getting a couple of gifts from my besties. I know, I'm well aware of how awesome they are, and all of you. Thank you for sticking by me and continuing to read my stories.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

* * *

"Fucking hell, Edward. Her aura, it's like she's trying to absorb the negativity and darkness around her, taking it inside her. Get her out of here!"

Edward's heart raced as he lifted Bella in his arms, and ran for the car. Jasper's urgent call behind him to take her away from the property sent chills down his spine. Gravel spit from behind the tracks the tires left behind, his eyes returning to Bella's fading form. Her body kept phasing in and out from the chest down, as if fighting to remain flesh and bone at the same time her gifts was trying to completely take over.

"Bella, talk to me, baby," he pleaded, desperate due to what Jasper said and the gnawing need to hold her. Her eyes fluttered in response, a soft moan slipping from her lips. His eyes closed for a second, taking a moment to revel in the relief. "How far do I need to go?"

"A mile or so," she whispered, her hand reaching for his. The hold of her fingers wasn't tight, but tangible and reassuring. Her free hand reached for her cell phone, cursing when she found that the battery drained. "Fuck, not even ten minutes on the property and my fully charged phone died." She fumbled to look at the camera strapped to her chest and exhaled slowly. "My body camera is okay." She finally looked at him, her brow tight. "Pull over, Edward."

Almost absently, he did what she asked and waited for further instructions. He saw her turn the key in the ignition, but couldn't process the reason why. Suddenly, the seat beneath him moved further back. His eyes felt heavy at the feel of her hands holding his face gently, the anchor he had no idea he needed.

Concern was in every feature of her beautiful face inches above his, her gaze melting when he whispered her name. There was a knee on each side of his hips, their bodies were close, but too much space existed between them. His hands gripped her hips, and he couldn't help but pray that he could keep her there with him.

"Are you okay?"

He should be the one to ask that question first. "No, you?"

"Not if you're not," was her answer. Her bottom lip protruded that infinitesimal bit that most wouldn't notice, only those that knew her would see it. The brave front that she erected around her had a crack in the form of him. The feeling was mutual. The tender way he rubbed at the soft pink skin seemed to bring tears to her eyes. "I'm okay," she lied so fluently, in a language she perfected over the years.

For a few precious minutes they said nothing, just watching until their breaths echoed the others.

"Jasper said something back there," he tried, trying to shake away the memory of her falling into his arms.

"I can't always control that when I open myself up to see and feel everything. I walked onto the property with the knowledge that eight people were killed on it, including my best friend. Something I probably could've handled under less complicated circumstances. That preparation wasn't enough for all of them, and it was unexpected. When we go back…"

His fingers dug into her hips, his lips thinning. "We're not going back."

"I have to, Edward." The words were soft, but delivered with an intensity in her eyes that left no room for debate.

Too bad.

"No, give me one damn good reason why."

"Feel," she simply said. He closed his eyes at her words, opening himself once again. His sense of touch was nearly overwhelming, because he was holding her. He pushed those feelings to the back of his mind, determined to find what she asked him to look for. There on the outskirts, at the fringes of his extra senses was four spirits that hadn't been with them before setting foot on that fucking property.

One woman had a sweet, young face with once vibrant red hair. A smile was on her lips, and immediately he recognized her as Vicky, Bella's friend even though they'd never met. The second was a woman in scrubs, the kind often seen in doctor offices, soft pastel colors muted by her death, her murder. The third looked like the second, but dressed in a lab coat and stethoscope around her neck. It was the fourth that made little sense to him.

The woman was dressed in clothing circa 1970.

.

.

.

Edward's shoulders hunched around her against the car, keeping her close to protect her from the wind. They escaped the confined space ten minutes before, after she'd found one of those extra battery phone charger things in her glove department. All the while, she spoke with the detective on the line, her hand spread over his chest like earlier, before the bubble burst.

Jasper had called twice, each time asking if they were alright and if they were coming back. Edward wanted to say no, but he knew having all those spirits haunting Bella could prove disastrous. Two more had joined the first group and he already felt the presence of James, Shelley, and Jane closing in on their position. They always sensed when he was in trouble. Always. He wasn't sure it was a good idea for them to join him.

"They're coming," she mouthed, worry weighing down that bottom curve again. He squeezed her hip to confirm, simply waiting for the right words to come to him. Everything seemed so trivial, there's a point where "don't worry" and "it'll be fine" didn't help and felt more like an insult than motivation to see the light.

It was so damn dark in his world sometimes, and moving forward with her, it could become perpetual, never ending. His hand caught some flyaways from around her face, curling them behind her ears. The small smile on her lips lit up something inside him, and he realized the darkness didn't matter.

They had the potential to be each other's beacon in the night.

James was the first to stumble upon them minutes later, his eyes widening when he saw that they weren't alone. Thankfully his wayward eyes remained inside his head. Jane appeared in a mist of shadow from above, landing on a knee, like an avenging angel ready to fight. Shelley simply came into view, sitting on the hood of Bella's car, knitting needles held up like weapons.

"Who are they?" Jane asked them, keeping her distance from the spirits she didn't recognize.

James dusted off residual, spiritual dust from his shirt and finger-combed his hair, his gaze on Bella's ghostly BFF. Shelley looked at each frightened face belonging to the new visitors, being the oldest age wise, she commanded respect. Each spirit seemed to gravitate told her, something Shelley was capable of doing with people in her life before her death.

Edward cleared his throat to answer. "They're victims of the serial killer that once haunted Bella."

Each spirit looked toward Bella in unison, words slipping from their icy lips.

" _She killed him."_

" _The blood on her hands."_

" _She sent him to hell."_

" _Must bring hell to the other."_

Edward hissed, bombarded with eerie images and violent words. "Enough, back off or we won't be able to help." He was aware that they couldn't help themselves, they finally had a voice and found someone that could hear them.

Jane, Shelley, James, and Vicky formed a semi-circle around Edward and Bella, their backs to them, working like they trained for years together. The victims clamored back, heads shaking inhumanely and words spilled from their mouths that had fear spilling down their spines.

" _You have a day, that's it."_ The doctor, the victim before Bella's friend spoke for the others. Her dark hair blew around her, but her blue eyes softened as Bella shook in Edward's arms. _"We feel our humanity slipping away."_ They disappeared, lingering long enough for them to see nothing but the glow of their eyes.

.

.

.

Edward paced along the side of the road, for what felt like hours. Bella sat on a collapsible, metal chair she had pulled out from the trunk of her car. Patience was not his strongest suit, not when there was so much on the line. Bella had already said she couldn't return to the property until she had a firm handle on her gifts, something she took hours to achieve. The timeline from the dead doctor loomed overhead, and he knew from the ominous warning, she would return with all of the others if they didn't return to the property. Something that had the ability to put Bella in a coma, according to her friend Vicky.

"Jasper's almost here," Bella said, watching with him wary eyes. He didn't bother to ask how she knew, she just did. Nodding in response, he resumed his agitated walk. "Are you ready to run yet?"

He spun around until he faced her, glaring. "The only reason I'd run is if you're with me. I want to take you away from all of this. It could kill you." Now he understood her fear of prolonged exposure to spirits.

"There's not always a choice. Evil comes in all forms, I walk away from this, it could have consequences. I could become something you can't begin to imagine."

Jasper's words came back to haunt him in that moment. _"…she's trying to absorb the negativity and darkness around her."_

In two long strides, he was in front her, lifting her up onto the trunk of her car. He cupped her face in his warm hands, wishing he had the power to hold her together. Even now, he could see the seams and stitches unraveling.

"After we talk to this detective friend of yours, we're spending the rest of the day vegging like I promised. Please, Bella, promise me. We need it before we go back out there." Her hands manacled his wrists, instead of feeling caged he felt protected, wanted.

Needed.

She nodded. "I want to say I'm sorry for involving you, but Edward," a lone tear slipped from her eye, "I need you." Foreheads pressed together, they held each other until the sound of approaching vehicles from opposite directions broke the silence.

Jasper was slow to join them, warmth and calmness radiating from him. Detective Biers on the other hand made the mistake to put his hands on Bella, insisting that Edward move away immediately.

Bella sent the detective a glare over Edward's shoulder that instantly had the man stepping back. "Sorry." He shook his head, grimacing. "I forgot about the touching thing." The tone of his voice stated he didn't believe her, considering Edward was still holding her. "And the way you sounded…I feared something bad happened."

"Something has," Bella said, asking Edward to help her down. He gripped her waist and placed her on feet, keeping contact with her skin along the sliver of skin between back hem of her top and her jeans. Leaning back against his chest, she faced Jasper and the detective with an unwavering gaze. "The victims of The Nightingale Killer are haunting the property that once belonged to his grandfather."

"We're aware that the property in question belonged to the alleged killer Caius Lexington, though he never lived there. What does this have to do with possible the cold cases you mentioned on the phone?"

Bella closed her eyes and cleared her throat before meeting the detective's gaze. "Between 1972 and 1981 there was a series of mysterious disappearances of women aged 24-29 years, approximately twenty-six of them."

Detective Biers shook his head. "There's no way, I've studied ninety percent of the unsolved missing person cases for the local area since I moved here six years ago. There was nothing in the files that indicated or even eluded to what you're talking about, not to that scale."

"They were spaced out, never the same circumstances, all in the hope to not arouse suspicion. The local PD didn't see any relation to other missing women, except for two. Jessica and Lauren Newton."

The detective's brow furrowed. "The police went over everything with a fine tooth comb, spoke with all their friends. It was determined that they ran away, not that I blamed them. Their father was a fucking bastard."

"Pull all the files for missing women in the period I gave you that match their description." His eyes widened, but nodded. "Jasper here will tell you where to go on the property."

"What for?" Biers asked as he pulled out his phone. "What are my people going to find there that they couldn't the first time?"

"Graves."

"They looked, there wasn't any." Biers wanted her to understand, what she was saying wasn't possible.

"They looked for recently turned earth, anything to indicate that someone had been buried recently. What they need to look for would be over twenty years old."

.

.

.

The moment Edward and Bella stepped through the Williams' house, she started to strip, determined to fulfill her promise. He followed suit, but slower, too preoccupied by watching her as more of her skin was exposed. The house was cold, but he felt warm all over. Their clothes lay haphazardly in a trail leading toward the media room, leaving on their underwear. Before he reached the room, he ordered food to be delivered soon.

They would need it.

"Pick a movie please," she said, sitting in the middle of a massive couch made for movie watching. Her long, slim legs crossed at her knees as she stretched her arms above her head and let them drop along the back of the couch. A smile was on her lips and it reached her eyes, but barely. She needed this as much as he seemed to, at least he hoped so. "Unless you have something else in mind until lunch arrives."

Placing his phone on the cushion at the opposite end of the couch, he dropped to his knees in front of her. Desire could've drove him to slip his fingers between her thighs, to brush nips and licks on soft skin, or sampling her slick desire. Instead, he drew into his arms, his cheek resting on her chest. Afraid she wouldn't reciprocate the comfort he craved, he waited for her response.

The tips of her fingers brushed through his hair, a small hum on her lips as she wrapped her arms around him with no hesitation. Nothing was said aloud for a while, instead the words seemed to come from their tight grips, the tender swipe of their mouths, and their breaths moving in tandem, his flowing into hers.

Despite what lay ahead and the death that surrounded her, Edward was determined to ride it out with Bella beside him. He needed her closer, wanted to get inside her until he was in so deep she would want to keep him forever.

Funny, he thought to himself, he used to think ghosts were scary. It didn't compare to the fear of realizing he might not be able to be without her.

* * *

 **AN: I did it! I wrote and posted today! I woke up so early this morning, these characters telling me how the rest of the story would go. After running some errands and tending to my family, I finally had the chance to write. Thanks to everyone and all their kind words in your reviews. I shouldn't be surprised that sometimes when times are the most difficult, you can find love and support if you know where to look.**

 **Happy Holidays and surround yourselves with loved ones, give them a hug that comes from the heart.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

* * *

"Have you ever seen that many..." The tip of Bella's finger pushed gently against his lips, cutting him off.

"Remember what we agreed to do on the way here."

Right, the subject of ghosts and anything associated with them was not allowed to be a topic of discussion for the next ten to twelve hours. She needed some time to relax before they faced what lay ahead, and she couldn't do that if they talked about it. He offered her a sheepish smile, having forgotten as questions started to whirl in his thoughts.

The thousand or so answers he needed drifted to the back of his mind as she slipped her fingertip further between his lips. He gently nipped it, earning a soft laugh from her. There was a lightness in her eyes he hadn't seen before.

After a few moments though, her smile started to fall.

"I do want to thank you though," she whispered, a little hoarsely and tinged with something darker. Letting her hand fall away from his mouth, she tried to reconstruct a shield around her. He took her hand in his, his thumb brushing little circles on her skin hoping to stop the completion of the wall.

"Thank me for what?"

"For still being here." There was no missing the way her fingers tightened around his, as if she could stop him from leaving if he tried.

It would take time for her to trust that he wanted to stick around. He didn't blame her for being wary, she'd lost too many people in her life, and was constantly surrounded by death.

No wonder she worried about him and his ghostly family.

Deciding it wasn't time to push to have a heavy conversation, he went for something more playful.

"You mean here?" he asked, his hands dropping to the tops of her thighs, sliding up along the outside of her legs. Her breathing stopped for a second, her pretty lips falling open as she pushed her hips forward, asking for more of his touch. He pressed his lips to the center of her chest, working his way up her neck, nibbling and tasting her incredible skin. "Or here?"

By the time he reached her ear, her fingers were in his hair, and her chest rose and fell a little harder, faster. She whispered his name as he gently swiped his lips over her ear, and a spot just under it. It made her moan. The sound was soft, but he caught the slight vibration on his lips.

The need to lay her down and taste every inch of her had him reaching for her mouth, groaning into another kiss. Time seemed to pass strangely and in their languid exploration made everything else fall away. Until the distant sound of bells interrupted the moment, lunch had arrived, their matching smiles when they pulled away made them laugh.

"Hold that thought," he said as he stood, bending to press his lips to her forehead. "I'll grab the food, we'll eat, and maybe take this somewhere else."

She tilted her head to one side, her small nose scrunched in distaste. "It is kind of weird to be doing this in a stranger's house."

"I was thinking that, too," he said, shrugging and calling out as the front doorbell rang again. "Be right there!" He waggled his eyebrows over his shoulder as he tossed on his shirt, grabbed his wallet, and ran for the door sans pants.

Bella watched Edward walk down the hall, admiring his ass in dark blue boxer briefs. The man obviously worked out, an ass like that required some work. She tried to concentrate on the night ahead as she walked over to the bar. Edward was with her, so she promised herself she'd forget about the proverbial sword over her head for a while. Her hands shook as she found the pills she had put behind the bar for emergencies.

There was still plenty of time before the thing inside her needed to release, the only way to slow it down was to numb it. Two pills, that was it, she told herself. Only two.

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.

.

"What's your favorite part of this movie?" Edward asked shortly after putting in The Return of the Jedi, his mouth still full from a bite of food.

"Besides Hans Fucking Solo, I don't know, Leia. I always thought she was pretty bad ass, and you notice how not one of the men had a problem with following orders from her. That's awesome."

"Not the Ewoks," he said, teasing her. She tried to kick his knee with her foot, but he was too quick. He caught her ankle in his hand, and tugged until she was practically on his lap.

"They're cute and its obvious looks can be deceiving."

He hummed, tracing little patterns on her bare arm with the tips of his fingers. "Sort of like you." She didn't bother to answer, too preoccupied with his touch. "You feeling better?" His palm settled on her chest, warming her deep inside. The man had the ability to render her useless when he touched her. It had been a long time since anyone tried to take care of her, and she liked it more than she thought she would. Something she thought she didn't need, but now, with him so close and making her feel things, she craved what he offered her.

"A little," she said, settling her head on his shoulder. "Let's go to the bedroom and watch in there. I kind of feel like a perv knowing that Kate and Garrett's children usually use this room to watch movies and play video games."

"That is fucking weird." He stopped the movie and they worked together to clean up and close the house for the night. It was still early, not even six, but they knew they'd feel more comfortable in a space that was generally their own.

Hand in hand, they walked into the bedroom, once again stripping down to their underwear. They climbed into bed, settling against the headboard and each other as Bella restarted the movie that they'd already begun watching in the game/media room.

"Shouldn't you be preparing?" he asked, wishing he didn't have to take back his promise. He wanted to make sure she was able to handle the following morning when they returned to the property.

"This is preparing for me, Edward," Bella said, shaking her head. "I need to relax, categorize, and organize everything I'd seen and lock it up tight until I need it tomorrow. I know you're scared, and other than this, there's not much else I can do but relax. I will likely meditate in the morning for a few hours. Until then, being with you makes me feel a hundred times better than a bottle of tequila or vodka would."

It wasn't the first time she mentioned alcohol as a way to numb the voices they heard. The causal way she approached the subject scared him. There were other concerns about her health that he had to address if he was meant to relax, too.

"I need to ask you something," he said, taking her hand in his, playing with her fingers. Searching through the questions he had, he found one relatively safe. "Earlier, only your lower body or arms would phase, is there a reason for that?" He felt her shoulder shift beside his, and took a chance to look at her.

"I told you before I never fully phased, I'm too freaked out to even try. I don't know what will happen if my heart suddenly phased, but not my head. Would blood continue to pump through my body if I did phase from the neck down? Also, my brain sends all the signals, if its technically not there, does my body die? I know it's a fucking weird thing to worry about, considering everything that surrounds me, but I can't help it. I've never known anyone that can do what I can do. I've done some research into astral projection, but that means leaving the body. I don't do that though."

She was so flustered that her hands started to circle around, her face flushing to the tops of her ears, and her voice had risen.

"I don't blame you for worrying about that, I would be, too." Edward wrapped an arm around her shoulders, tugging her against his side. "Hell, I am now that you've mentioned all this. The fact that you have that kind of control when you're brought to your knees by what you've seen is fucking impressive."

"There's so much I have to tell you, and I promise I will after all this."

She kissed his jaw, gently scraped her teeth along the edge. An efficient way to distract him, so much so that when he turned to capture her lips, he was lost in her. His thumb brushed over her cheek, his fingers cupping the back of her head, changing the angle to taste more of her. Warmth radiated from her and into him, hotter than anything he felt. It traveled like sparks along live wires everywhere they were connected, from their kiss-swollen lips to their wandering hands.

The movie playing became background noise as they shifted closer, their bodies intertwining, hips meeting. Their breathing patterns started to match, their lips moving over scorching skin. Her back arched off the bed as his tongue tasted the soft pink and pebbled tips of her breasts. His answering groan only brought her body closer, had her begging for more. One of his arms snuck beneath her back to pull her closer to his awaiting mouth. The tugging of her urgent fingers in his hair served to quicken his pace to taste more of her, to give her pleasure she'd never experienced before.

If he was one of many, he wanted to be the one she'd never forget.

His name on her lips drove him to savor, to memorize. He straddled her thighs and had her lift her arms over her head, stretching out her beautiful body for him to marvel at, to love with his eyes, hands, his lips, and his body. She twisted beneath him as he discovered a constellation of inked stars around her ribs. The subtle hints of color popped against her pale skin, and he gave each one a name and a through exploration with his tongue. The small indentation of her navel was sensitive under his mouth, making the taunt skin of her stomach slightly quiver.

"Edward." It was part plea and sigh; a sound he wanted to hear at least a hundred times by the end of the night. His fingers worked themselves beneath the soft black lace of her underwear, hiding from him what he wanted to desperately taste. Her lovely sounds picked up in pitch and frequency the second he put his lips on the sensitive skin between her thighs.

Higher and higher their desire rose together, when it was too much and not enough, he crawled over her body and drove inside her. With her eyes on his, she met every thrust of his hips and so much more. For every tender kiss there was an equally gentle whispered word. Her hands lingered on his back, loving how the muscles undulated with his every move.

Edward had little time to think, pulling out of her warm body to kiss her and keep her on the edge, his mouth between her thighs again. He wanted the moment to last as long as possible and he was too close to the coming apart. Bella tried to protest, to pull him up, but she cried out when he lavished attention right where she needed it.

She took him by surprise though, twisting until he was beneath her. He looked up from between her thighs, smug satisfaction racing through him as she was too lost in what he was doing to complain further. His tongue continued to tease as her head fell back, her hands moving over her breasts and into her hair. "So close," she hissed and looked down at him. Her lashes fluttered as he lifted her off his face and down until he could drive inside her. As need took over, she fell forward until their mouths met, her hips rolling over his in a rhythm that made his blood boil.

The little bite of his teeth over her bottom lip and his thumb moving between their bodies, had her body tightening all around him for several moments, before shaking in his hold. He thrust and thrust up into her, his mouth on her shoulder as he fell over the edge moments later.

Tired and sated, he had enough strength to pull a sheet over their bodies as they each settled into a dreamless sleep.

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"There's something wrong," James said outside the Williams' house.

"She always puts a shield up when she goes to bed," Vicky said, shrugging. Her red curls moved along with her shoulders, mesmerizing James. "If she didn't she'd dream about any spirit near her, she's the most vulnerable and open when she sleeps."

Jane tapped a beat on her thigh, and rose to her feet in one fluid movement. Being dead had some perks. "They have a right to some privacy, we all know that tomorrow is going to bitch for both of them."

"They deserve a break," Shelley said, already working on a new project. What happens to said projects, no one knew. They simply disappeared once they were done. One of those unknowns in their world.

"What should we do?" Vicky asked, picking invisible lint from her sweater. Jane wanted to roll her eyes at how obvious the newbie was trying _not_ to look at James. According to her, it had been a year since she died and her murder was too prominent her mind. It didn't mean she coukd stop the desire for something more than floating around in the afterlife. Maybe Vicky was what James needed to stop being so afraid of everything.

"I don't know about any of you," Jane said, as she allowed her form to turn to shadow, "but I'm going back to that house and find out what we can before they return. If we arm them with as much information as possible, maybe it could help take some of the burden off."

"I'll go with you," Vicky stated, squaring her shoulders as she looked at the others to see if they'd follow.

James of course said he would go with them, wanting to be close to Vicky and keep an eye on Jane. Shelley decided to stay back just in case Edward and Bella would need them. As they started to fade away, a light downstairs came on, it was almost three in the morning. They couldn't see or hear who was up though, and that left them a little unsettled.

"Looks like they might have the munchies," Jane teased Shelley to lighten the moment, making the old woman blush. "I wonder what has them _so_ hungry right now?" She left behind her laughter, a gift she knew Shelley always appreciated.

* * *

 **AN: A little break before the shit hits the fan. Only a few of you caught some of my hints I've weaved into the story. I wanted to wish to everyone a Happy New Year. As a difficult year comes to a close, I'm hoping that 2016 will be brighter for us all. The love and support I get from all of you is so very appreciated. Have a good one!  
**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

* * *

Edward startled awake sometime after four in the morning, groggily he looked away from the alarm clock to check what woke him up. Bella's cold foot slid against his leg, her body trying to wiggle closer to him. Between a couple of rounds of sex and all the excitement of the last two days, he was exhausted and needed more rest. He pulled Bella tighter against his body, noticing her shivering.

"Why are you so cold?" he asked, though his question sounded slightly slurred from sleep. His hand ran up and down her arm to warm her.

Bella moaned softly, turning toward him and nuzzling her lips against his chest. "Cuz' you're a blanket hog."

Edward felt his face heat up a little, since no one had ever said that to him. No girlfriend had ever slept over his place, a mutual decision, or had ever taken the time to learn about his quirks and habits. He hoped Bella would stick around even after she figures out all the different ways he could annoy her and vice versa.

"Sorry," he whispered, pressing a kiss in the center of her forehead. She made a soft little sound that caught in her throat. The cool tips of her fingers traced indistinct patterns on his chest, working their way down his stomach.

No longer concerned with resting, his own fingers danced gently down her back. Her body arched closer, her nipples brushing his chest. It wasn't long before they were lost to each other, knowing that time was of the essence. Before falling asleep earlier, Bella had said her privacy spell would end as the sun rises. With dawn approaching, their movements were a little faster, harder, and deeper. His lips and tongue lingered on the tips of her breasts, while hers wrapped around him in heat.

Rolling and twisting in the sheets, soon he was deep inside her. Their mouths met and shared breaths and soft words. "I'm scared," she cried softly as her body started to tremble beneath his. He kissed away her tears and loved her as if there was no tomorrow.

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The sound of utensils scraping against plates seemed to reverberate through the kitchen. Coffee had been poured less than hour before, as they made the necessary calls to Detective Biers and Jasper. Though the detective's captain was reluctant to allow civilians on the property on what could be huge case, they would be allowed to go but only for an hour.

If need be, they'd sneak on the property later to help the lost souls.

"I'll clean up," Edward said, rising from his chair and taking his plate with him. "You go do your thing."

Bella nodded and rolled her neck, as he turned away to wash dishes. "I can't make promises about what is going to happen, but I can tell you what to look for if something goes wrong."

Edward's shoulders dropped when he faced her, and he did his best to remain positive. "Like what?" It came out harsher than he intended, her flinch pained him. "Sorry, I'm trying not to freak out. I'm worried, there's no fucking denying that."

She joined him by the sink, her arm wrapping around his waist as she let her forehead drop on his chest. "I'm scared, too. This is off the charts in my book." That didn't make him feel better. "But as you can hear from outside, we're already surrounded. They're not going to leave us alone until we do something to help."

He kissed the top of her head, wrapping his arms around her. Spirits from the Lexington property had been blinking in and out all morning since Bella's privacy spell lifted, more than a dozen at a time so far. The voices and the memories they broadcasted for them to see was deafening. Bella had only managed to dull it with a temporary spell, but it also kept their spiritual cohorts from joining them. It didn't give them the same privacy as before, but Bella needed it that way. She was getting the information she needed so that she'd be better prepared for later.

"We could walk away, but there's a very good chance they'll never allow us any peace. Spells can only do so much and are only as powerful as I am at the moment. This is already draining the resources my body and mind need to cope with what comes next."

"What exactly comes next?"

"Well, something is keeping the spirits from leaving the property for long. That's why they come and go here. Some will not leave willingly once we offer our help, probably because they fear what lies on the other side. There are some that are so lost in their hatred and vengeance that their souls have been lost, those will be among the most difficult to put to rest. Then there is the killer…" Her brow tightened, her head shaking. "It's a mess."

"What is it?" He held her face in his hands, watching as her eyes lost focus. "What is it that they're showing you?"

"I don't know. They seem to be scared of the killer and an older woman. I can't make sense of it."

"Is there anything you need from your car before we head out?"

"Everything we took last time, and we need to make sure we have enough holy water and salt on us."

"You ready?"

She shook her head. "I need to change, and I'd advise on long sleeves. The forest is pretty dense and if we have to run, it'll leave scratches easy."

"All right."

They worked together to clean up the kitchen then headed back to the guest room they were using to change. Bella received a call from a few contacts with the local police. Due to the new development on the property, Jane's case was being handled by someone else, not Detective Biers. Her body had been found, but her identity had yet to be confirmed. Once that happened, things would be monitored to make sure Jane remained Earth bound until she was ready.

"You're sure Jane is out there?" Edward asked after Bella ended her call, pulling off his t-shirt and pulling a thermal out of his bag. If he planned to stay with Bella during her house sitting gig, he'd have to pick up some clothes. They hadn't discussed what would happen after that day, but they would need to soon.

"She's anxious, so yeah, I feel her."

Edward watched as she slipped into slim black pants that almost appeared painted on, the little hop she made to get them over her ass made him laugh. She sent him glare and flipped him off, before removing her top, leaving her breasts exposed. That made his laughter come to complete stop, earning hers.

"Too easy," she teased, but continued on the task of getting ready. The moment of levity made her tense shoulders ease a little, and the tightness around her eyes even lessened. The dark purple bra she put on made his teeth itch to remove, but not before tasting her nipple through the lace. Shaking his head to dispel some of the lust, he finished getting ready.

Fifteen minutes later, they were on the road on the way to meet Jasper and Detective Biers. It would be a matter of hours before FBI took over if Bella's suspicions were correct. Their time on the property was limited, which didn't bode well for the day ahead. Jane and the others, including Vicky, had gone ahead, also waiting for them.

"You sure you have everything you need?" Edward drove his truck through a thick fog that rolled in during the early morning hours. There was no use in denying how anxious and scared he felt.

"Yes," Bella whispered, her eyes closed and the back of her head rested on the seat. "Do you remember what to look for if something goes wrong? What to do?"

Edward looked away, feeling her eyes him. "Yeah, I know what to do."

"And if I say for you to run?"

"I'm not running, I told you that. If we're in trouble, I'm grabbing you and then we'll run."

"Fine, I'd do the same anyway," she huffed, and slid closer to his side. He was damn thankful for the bench style seating with no center console. It kept her close, just the way he liked it.

"Is Jasper going to be okay?" she asked, concern lighting up her eyes. Edward could only shrug. He thought he knew Jasper, but obviously his friend had kept things from him. "We'll need to keep an eye on him. He doesn't seem as sensitive to them as we are, or else he wouldn't have been able to stay there so long."

"He can handle himself, he's told me some stories that would put most horror flicks to shame." She had, too, but he decided not to ask what. That could wait until they were safe again. He felt her snuggle closer, her eyes closed as she started to whisper something that sounded like Latin. It had to be something she did to prepare, maybe even a prayer. He kept his questions to himself and continued toward the property that would undoubtedly be their toughest challenge.

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"How many did you find?" Bella asked Detective Biers. The straight and narrow asshole was gone, instead, there was a man who'd seen things that changed him overnight. His suit looked slept in, his hair was a mess, and his tie was long gone.

"The crew is still working on the graves, but twenty-four women according to the ME, there's also a body of a much younger woman."

"Fuck," Bella hissed and rolled her shoulders. "I wasn't sure, I saw something concerning a teenager, but I honestly thought it was something residual. Are there any records of family being buried on the property?"

"There's nothing on file, though Caius Lexington had an older sister go missing when he was six. According to the file, Heidi Lexington was last seen near the creek that runs through the property, while the others were hunting."

"Are you thinking that the girl's body is Heidi Lexington?" Jasper asked, standing on her right side. "We need to make sure it's her. If there's even a remote chance that she's alive, we may have someone willing to take over the apparent family business."

"That's what we may have here, a family of serial killers." Detective Biers led them toward the graves, though there was no need. Spirits friendly and not so friendly surrounded them, some curious of the newcomers, others angry for whatever reason. Jane and Vicky stood at the edge of the tree line, facing it and very still. James and Shelley flanked Edward and Bella, as they made their way through the forest.

The canopy overhead kept most of the sun hidden from view, not that it would help much since the fog had yet to lift. There was a golden, hazy appearance to the sun that made it appear as if it was sunset instead of closer to noon.

They each had almost fallen due to twisted roots and logs. On Edward's left, the same ghost-doctor that warned them the day before flickered into view. In a blink of an eye, she was gone, only to stand several feet ahead of them. "You okay?" Edward asked Bella, keeping his hand around her elbow.

"I'm okay, I'm only getting a trickle of information, but I can see them clearly."

"Me, too." Edward looked at Jasper, who only shrugged. They were going to have to talk soon, his friend was keeping secrets that may be vital for what they were doing.

Detective Biers looked at Bella and leaned a little too close. "Is my sister here?"

"She's here to protect you, yes," Bella whispered, her eyes clenching shut. She wavered, leaning toward Edward. The asshole detective made it obvious that he wanted to be the one to catch her.

Tough shit, that was his privilege, not some detective, making it clear with a hard stare.

"What do you see?" Jasper asked her, glaring at Edward and Biers for their pissing contest. He said nothing else and waited for Bella. After a minute of mumbling under her breath, too soft and fast for anyone to understand, her arm slowly lifted to point past several tents were set up. Six crew members were working on uncovering the bodies as carefully as possible and collecting evidence.

"There's an older woman, and a young woman."

Edward walked past her toward the direction she pointed. "I don't see anything," he said, confused.

"I think she's walking through the past." Jasper held Edward back as Bella continued toward a darker part of the forest. "I can't see what she's seeing, but they're only letting her see."

Edward could only nod, hating that he was clueless of what was happening. If there was something that had the ability to hurt Bella, he wanted to know everything about it. He helplessly watched as tears started to trail down her cheeks. A few yards away from them, she stopped and held out her hand, behind her.

"Edward." He grabbed a hold of her hand, surprised to find it so cold.

"I'm here."

"Close your eyes," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

The moment he closed his eyes, he realized why she apologized. He was bombarded with hundreds of images, no, memories. Each string of pictures came with loaded with tactile information, including scents and emotions.

 _A young woman, of maybe seventeen or eighteen with dark blonde hair stood behind a tree, armed with a rifle, the one her grandfather had given her. Cold and dread filled her whole body as a small tan and white fawn and its mother looked up from where they drank at the water's edge. She kept quiet, hardly breathing as she pulled up her rifle, her hands shaking. Everything warred against her. Her heart wasn't into the kill, not like the rest of her family. She had no desire for it, yet she knew that her grandmother and grandfather would be angry._

 _There was no sign of her grandfather and brother, she could get away with scaring them away. She stepped from behind the tree, just as a flash from across the creek caught her attention and then came a horrible sound. The mother fell to her side with a thump, and scarcely any movement. They didn't warn her how they screamed if they didn't die right away or how a fawn would cry for its mother. Tears filled her eyes. She looked up to see her little brother at the other end of the rifle, his mouth curving up as he said, "I got you in my crosshairs."_

Edward's stomach churned and bile rose in his throat. Memories continued to come from Bella, though too fast, becoming to disoriented. "Stop!" The second the word passed his lips, they memories fell way.

Bella swayed as he did, but they held each other up. Whatever it was that she shared, he could now see the girl, not much older than eighteen, her appearance was in different shades of grays, a sickly tinge all over her body. She was dirty, her dress too thin for the cold, one gray eye was wide open, but too large in her round face. Where her other eye should be, was nothing but a hollowed, black socket. The only hint of color was the mass of blood on her stark white dress from several stab wounds. She opened his mouth to talk or scream, but before she could, an old wrinkled woman with a shock of white hair and matching eyes came up from behind the girl to cover her mouth.

"Leave this place," the old woman hissed, taking the last of the sun with her words.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

* * *

The wind picked up, sending dirt and leaves in every direction. Debris swirled around Bella and Edward, riding a particularly ice cold blast of air. Every instinct had alarms banging around in his head, and the need to throw Bella over his shoulder to run started to grow. He grabbed her arm, intending to do that, only for him to touch nothing but icy air.

His eyes snapped toward her, half her body shifting from flesh and bone to spiritual. "Bella!" He stood in front of her, capturing her face in his hands. Her eyes were nearly completely black, and though he didn't know what it meant, he knew it was dangerous.

"Come back, Bella."

"Fucking hell," Jasper hissed, his knees giving out and sent him sprawling backward. Others shouted as the earth beneath the gravesites started to rumble under their feet. Bella ran toward the yellow-taped area, Edward right beside her, and they watched helplessly as the bones in each marked grave started to sink further into the dirt.

"What the fucking hell?" Biers roared, scrambling toward one and trying to grab hold of a femur. He screamed, his other hand holding his wrist, his palm red with blisters.

"Fuck it!" Edward turned to Bella, threw her over his shoulder, pulled Jasper to his feet, and ran away from the scene. The others weren't too far behind, the scent of death and decay following them along with an unearthly wail of terror and anger.

Too curious for his own fucking good, Edward made the mistake of looking back. His mouth opened as a silent scream caught in his throat.

"Go! Go!" Jasper hissed, pulling Edward along.

Behind them, a scene that not even horror movie makers had been able to achieve was a wave of mangled bones and dirt, reaching ten feet high. It ran down tree samplings like twigs, uprooted trees with ease, and was growing. Superimposed over the skulls were the faces of the victims, silently screaming their horrific tales.

The main house loomed ahead, but Edward ran past it and nearly threw Bella in the cab of his truck, Jasper and a few others jumped into the back. The remaining forensic crew and officers climbed into other vehicles as he sped out down the gravel driveway.

Bella's black gaze burned the side of his face, but he refused to look at her until they reached safety. Adrenaline spiked his blood for miles, until Jasper knocked on the window and asked for him to pull over. The moment his truck came to a stop, Bella shot out of the truck and promptly threw up by some bushes. She wasn't the only one. For several minutes, everyone just stopped and tried to calm down.

Bella thanked Edward for holding up her hair while she was sick and handing her a bottle of water after. She looked up at him with her whiskey gaze and frowned. "I think they're pissed I sent their son to hell."

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They reached Edward's place on the outskirts of the city, all the way across from where Bella was staying, hours later. They tried to return to the property only for the same thing to happen the moment someone stepped on the property. Most of those involved refused to believe it was anything but an aftershock, rather than believe there was something supernatural about the tremors.

"Anything?" Edward asked, helping Bella out of the truck.

"Nothing, I can still feel that they're there, but their voices have been silenced."

They lost communication with all the spirits after the incident, even their friends. He understood why the killers had some control over their victims, but James, Shelley, and Jane were not a part of any of that.

"I can't sense them," he said softly, unlocking his door and immediately realizing they were alone. "Let me shower and get some shit together, and we can head back to the Williams' house."

"Maybe we should take some time off," she said, not meeting his eyes. He said nothing. "I don't want that, but just in case you might want some time away."

He tugged her closer, hating the distance between them. "I'm a stubborn person, and if I want something, very little will stop me from having and keeping it. I want you. If I say I want to spend time with you, it's the truth." He held her gaze, tipping his face down to kiss her. A breath away, he whispered, "We're in this together." Their lips met, but it was harder than either expected. It was what they needed though, stripping each other of clothes and stepping into the shower. Bruises were left behind, fear and desire fueling their passion. It was okay though, Edward realized, because she was starting to heal the other battered parts of him.

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For the next two days, they remained at the Williams' house, waiting by their phones for any news about Jane's case and the Lexington property. Bella's duties of house sitting were ending earlier than expected, and they were both happy about it, the owner's sister was taking over.

Though the house was fun to share, it didn't feel like their space. They kept their activities to the guest bedroom, and they were too close to Alec and Tanya's house. The day before, their driveway was filled with cars from family members and friends coming to pay their condolences, the police confirming that the body they found was Jane's that morning. Worse yet, their spiritual companions had yet to return.

"She'll be here soon," Bella said, watching as Edward packed his things. They agreed to meet at his place later that night. "Should I bring something by to eat?"

"Sounds good, I haven't bought groceries in like a week." He grimaced and shuddered. "My fridge is probably hazardous at this point." She poked his side, hoping to catch a smile.

Since they returned from the horrific scene days earlier, they had avoided the subject. The thing was, that it haunted their nightmares. Twice they'd wake up to each other's screams, fear clinging to their skin in the form of sweat and tears.

"Edward, look at me."

He let the shirt he had in his hands drop into his bag before turning to face her. "What is it?"

"We need to go over the videos."

"Do you think I don't know that?" His words were harsh, as was the twist in his lips, almost cruel.

"You can still walk away, you know."

"Yeah, I'm aware." He zipped up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "I'll see you later." Taking the stairs two at a time, he reached the front door before she was midway down. His hand clung to the doorknob. He looked over his shoulder and tried to smile. "I don't like this. It's not you…"

"I swear if you finish that with 'it's me' you'll regret it."

He groaned and faced her. "I mean that shit you always do and say! You're always expecting me to leave to run away. There's only so many times I can hear that shit and wonder, if maybe that's what you want!"

She descended another few stairs, still too far away. "I don't, but I want you safe."

He understood that, because he wanted that for her, too. "And that's not with you, is it?"

"Everything I touch dies."

Disappointment felt like a knife through his chest. "Well, newsflash Bella, since I've met you I haven't felt this alive in over five years." He stepped onto the porch and didn't look back. By the time he reached the end of the driveway, it was clear she wasn't coming after him.

.

.

.

Bella crumbled the moment the door slammed behind him. For days she had held it in, but she couldn't any more. Through her blurry vision she saw her fingertips bleed black, she rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands, only to find them wet with more black blood. It wasn't real she told herself, a mantra on her cracked lips. She screamed as it started to build up in her gut, she struggled to her feet and stumbled her way to the basement.

Kate didn't have a sister, Bella needed Edward gone and safe. She knew whatever it was that happened almost every night, except for the last few, would explode out of her at any moment. Her stomach rolled as well as the room around her. The chair and the handcuffs stood in plain view, if Edward had every wandered there she would have had to explain.

She wasn't going to make it to the only thing that would keep her from hurting herself. Her hand slipped into her jacket pocket, the bottle of pills shaking the only salvation. The number didn't matter as she swallowed them dry.

A nearby mirror alerted her how close she was to losing it. She had only minutes before the darkness would take over. Her cell phone was too bright for her painful eyes, but she ignored it and typed out a message to Edward. She dropped it, sat down, and tried to slip the cuffs on, but it was too late.

.

.

.

For thirty minutes Edward watched the house, waiting for Kate's sister to arrive so he could make sure Bella was all right. She had sent him a text minutes after he left, one he had yet to answer.

 _I feel alive and good when I'm with you._

Something didn't feel right, so Edward called Alec and asked if either Garrett or Kate had a sister. He wasn't surprised to find that Bella had lied. She was trying to get him out of the house, the question was why. Then he heard it, an unearthly wail coming from inside the house. He was charging down the driveway in seconds, his mind refusing to dwell on the fact that the scream was not human.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry, I literally wrote this today and posted. There's probably a huge list of mistakes, SORRY. My internet is spotty and this may be my only chance this week.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

* * *

The instant Edward stepped out of his truck, voices from nearby spirits filled his head. He groaned, after days of no contact they sounded like a roar. It almost knocked him on his ass. He held onto his truck, trying to get his head to stop spinning

Familiar voices chanted in his head, though his friends and James had yet to show up. He called for them, but they only continued to call out in despair. He ran toward the front entrance, expecting to kick the doors open. Instead they swung in before he reached them, as if something was expecting him inside.

It wasn't a good sign.

His voice echoed throughout the foyer as he called out for Bella. The house was unnaturally quiet and even the usual sound of insects outside had disappeared. A light in the kitchen drew his eye, flickering several times. He walked closer and noticed the door to the basement was slightly ajar. He swallowed his fear and ran down the stairs, calling out Bella's name again.

The basement had recently been updated, but the couple had yet to put in anything. Bella's strange, collapsible chair stood in the center of the sparse room. One of her hands was secured to an arm of the chair in a pair of handcuffs, another set lay at his feet. Her free hand lay limply on her lap. Her hair was damp and her breathing was irregular.

Something small, round, and light on the dark wood flooring stood out. A prescription bottle sat near the chair. He walked closer, cautious because he knew Bella wouldn't secure herself for nothing. His heart tripped in his chest, fear clawing at his insides as he lifted a pill from the floor.

 _No, no, no._

"Bella." He bent to pick up the bottle, confirming his worst fear. The prescription for Vicodin was less than a week old, he could only account for four pills. Bella's head rolled to one side and then the other, finally lifting for him to see. Her eyes were black, so black that even the skin around them appeared gray. Much like Jane and Irina when they'd been consumed with hate and vengeance.

A slow, sinister grin slid into place. Her head cocked to one side, and then the other, so fast the move appeared like a blur to his human eyes. "You shouldn't be in here," she said in a raspy voice, so unlike her own. "Not safe for anyone."

He was horrified to find her fingertips black, as if they were suffering from frostbite. How he wished he listened to his uncle whenever he told him stories about his medical practice. "I'm taking you to the hospital, Bella."

"No!" The chair with her still on it slid across the floor, hitting the wall farthest from him.

"Bella!" He ran toward her, her mouth agape, blood trickling from one corner. She shook her head and he watched as the chair started to move up the wall. Her midnight eyes remained on his, her chest rising and falling so hard, he feared she'd pass out. The moment he reached out to touch her, she screamed, her lips opening unnaturally wide.

Demonic possession was his first thought, but he quickly tossed the possibility away. She once said she used spells to prevent demons from entering her home and wherever she stayed.

"It's not safe!" Dark tears laced with blood fell from her eyes, creating sooty rivers along her cheeks. "I'm not safe." Her eyes rolled back and her body started to convulse.

"Fuck!" He grabbed her, but he was instantly thrown ten feet back, his ass hitting the floor. Pain radiated throughout his body, but he ignored it and crawled back to her. "Bella, please."

The chair already halfway up the wall, fell from beneath her, the handcuff clanking on the wood floor. She was free. Bella remained on the wall, her body seemingly pinned to it. Whatever was holding her up, caused her body to shake so hard under the strain. Was she fighting to keep herself against the wall? To keep him safe? Or was some outside force doing it?

For that single space of a second when he touched her, he'd seen something truly horrifying. Jasper was right, Bella pulled negative energy into herself and he was witnessing a manifestation of it as it released from her. The few times he swore he had heard her leave their bed at night, but she always distracted him from asking why. Each time she was locking herself away to release the dark energy before it consumed her.

He slowly rose to his feet, walking the short distance toward her. For every step, she countered it with another inch up the wall. There wasn't much room left once her head reached the top, or so he thought. She crawled up onto the ceiling, but not falling, even her hair remained in place. He was way in over his head. Nearly every instinct had him wanting to reach for her, but any time he tried, she'd move away. She shifted until she sat on her backside, holding her wrist in one hand. _On the fucking ceiling!_ It was hard for Edward to get over what he was seeing.

Blood dripped from gouges caused by the handcuffs she broke free from, the wound seemed to hold her attention. Maybe if he kept her talking, she would stop from hurting herself further. "Why didn't you use your gifts?"

It would've been easy for her to phase her hand and free herself from the handcuffs.

"Little control, when like this." Her voice was not her own, and if it wasn't for what he'd seen when he touched her, he would believe she was possessed.

"The pills, baby," he whispered, holding up the bottle. He was on the verge of freaking out. If she had taken the pills during the fifteen minutes or so that he was gone, they would've knocked her out by now.

"Numbs me, doesn't hurt me." She looked down, up at him, with black eyes. The gray tinge to her skin around them had diminished some. "Leave, taking all control not to hurt you." Her hand reached for him, her the tips of her fingers looked like black claws.

Edward managed to move way, and she barely missed him. His mind was playing tricks on him, it had to be. He had fallen asleep in his truck, there was no way this was real.

She groaned, her hands clutching her stomach. "Leave!"

"No." He was scared, there was no sense in denying it. There was no way he could leave when she was in pain. "I can't leave you alone."

She hit the floor a few feet away from him with a hard thud. He scrambled for her, but it burned to touch her. "No, don't touch me. You make it come back inside me. I need to let it go."

Things started to click into place. The last time Edward touched her in the kitchen when she had black eyes, when she tested his effect on her, the dark receded back inside her. It was a mechanism to protect him. If he touched her again, everything she was trying to release would be sucked back inside her.

Against everything he truly wanted to do, he backed away from her. Fresh tears started to flow from her eyes as her body started to shudder, twist, arch and roll away from him, only to slam against the ceiling.

He watched from the sidelines, tears in his eyes as she continued to scream. How had he not heard her? The ache to hold her, to put a stop to it all kept his eyes open. Bile rose from his gut and he lost whatever food he had in stomach near the stairs.

An eternity passed before she fell to her knees, limp and exhausted, sweat coating her body. She started to phase each body part from the chest down to start the healing process. She held her arms out on each side of her, palms up, as her head fell back to scream one last time. A tar-like substance swirled and escaped her mouth, drips of it defied gravity, lifting from her arms and the tips of her fingers to the ceiling. The substance pooled right above her, moving in an unnatural way. It started to shrink in size, trembling as if it was aware of its demise until there was nothing left.

Bella fell to the floor in a heap, barely breathing. He cautiously approached until she called out his name. He lifted her onto his lap, rocking her in his arms as they cried, overwhelmed.

.

.

.

"How long?" he asked hours later in bed. After he helped her shower, Bella insisted on getting some rest. Edward was too exhausted to complain.

"To a degree, probably since I was a child. But it started to get really bad when I was eighteen or so," she whispered. Her hand lay within in his own on his chest, both of them bare in more ways than one. "Whenever I feel it get too much control over me, I wander somewhere private with the chair and handcuffs. It's like an urge to purge. It usually hits me around three in the morning, but only on days when there are a lot of spirits nearby. Well, really bad ones.

"I don't remember what happens to me most of the time. I've tried filming it, but the video always ends up recording nothing but static. I've tried digital recorders, and I've recorded sounds of things breaking but never my voice, my screams."

"Why is this happening to you?" He pulled her closer, lost in the memory of what he witnessed. Even hours later, it still caused a shiver of fear to crawl down his spine.

"I think it's a punishment." Her body was tense within his arms. Nothing he did seemed to help her relax enough since they slipped into bed. "One of the witches I met in my travels said something once, 'sins of the father' but my grandmother dismissed it. I'm starting to wonder."

"You need to find the benefactor, Bella. He or she may have the answers we need."

She pulled back to look at him. "We?"

His hand cradled one side of her face, his thumb brushing away a lone tear. "We." Tentative and gently, he kissed her, keeping it chaste and soft. She opened beneath his gentle lips and finally relaxed in his arms. "Do you believe in me now?"

Her hands clutched at his shoulders as she nodded. "You're not going anywhere." She rested her forehead on his shoulder. "You deserve so much more. I'm such a burden."

"I won't lie to you," he murmured, hating how she flinched at his words. "It was horrible to watch. You'd feel the same way if our situation was reversed. It tore me apart to see it, but I can't walk away." The images returned and made his empty stomach churn. He felt her roll him onto his back, climbing on top of him. Her words were soft and soothing, her hair giving the illusion of privacy around their faces. "I'll be right there waiting for you every time you have to let it go." His voice was hoarse and fear seemed to close up his throat.

"I know, I know," she cried and held him until they started to drift off. They were in such a state of vulnerability, they had no idea there was an audience.

"Let's give them a little time," Shelley said, popping out of the room.

"I'm certainly not in the mood to see his naked ass," James grumbled and faded from view. "Bella's on the other hand."

"Dude, I think I'm into girls. Her ass is awesome." Jane dispersed into shadow, slipping under the bedroom door.

Edward groaned suddenly aware of the presence of three annoying, but lovable ghosts in the house. "We better get dressed and find out what the fuck has been going on."

Bella nodded and kissed his nose. She stared at him. "You're making it so easy to fall in love with you, Edward." She studied his face for a few moments. "Did that freak you out?"

Despite all the shit of the last week, Edward had to smile. "Over two dozen ghosts, a family of serial killers, a tidal wave of dead bodies, and you think a declaration like that would scare me?"

She hopped off him and bed to start getting dressed. "Love can be frightening in our line of work."

"Yeah, but it can be the one thing that holds us up and keeps us grounded." He reached for her and pulled her in for a kiss, realizing not for the first time, despite everything he'd been through since he met her, she was worth it.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

* * *

Edward had Bella tucked against his side on the couch, her body shivering in the cool house. After her episode in the basement, they had forgotten to change thermostat. He wasn't sure if what happened to her was the cause, but the temperature around them dropped more than usual.

Jane was the first to speak up once they gathered in the living room, looking more dead than usual. "Bella, do you pull all the bad stuff from us?" She shared a look with James and Shelley, each of them wary of her answer. Edward didn't blame them for their concern.

Bella closed her eyes, her hand tightening around his fingers. "As much as I can." Edward shook his head in disbelief. Why hadn't she told him? "Mostly from you Jane, since your death was more violent than the others." The poor girl hung her head, her form fading for several moments. "Once Alec's ex was out of the picture, it was much better, but…" Bella paused, Jane's gaze snapped up to look at hers. They seemed to communicate silently for a few moments.

"I'm not ready."

Bella nodded, offering a her an understanding smile. "I know."

"What just happened there?" Edward asked, frustrated with it all. "You can't keep anything else from me, Bella." The words were delivered so harshly, she flinched.

"It's not my secret to tell." Her eyes remained on Jane, who continued to shake her head. "She'll tell you when she's ready."

Jane's gaze softened as it landed on Edward, appearing brighter than usual. "I'll tell you soon, just give me some time."

Edward didn't know what to say. "Fine. Whatever." The secrets were becoming too much. "Tell us what's been going on at the Lexington House." The others all shared a look, Jane staring at Bella apologetically. He wasn't ready to address his behavior, there would be time later for it.

James shuddered suddenly, his eyeballs shaking, too. "As ghosts we don't feel things like the cold or the sun on our backs. But for some reason, I felt so fucking cold there."

"It was horrific," Shelley whispered, a faraway look in her eyes. "In all my years in this afterlife, I never felt so incapable of free will."

"Something or someone had a hold of us there," Jane said, pacing a few feet above the floor. "There's three evil spirits, an old man, couldn't have been more than seventy when he passed. His wife, though she looks older than him. Another woman, possibly one of the first victims. She's been there the longest, she's so angry."

"I sensed the same thing," Bella said, tapping her fingers on her knee. "Anyone on the verge of turning?"

All three nodded. "Maybe three others, there's the girl, their granddaughter, too. She's torn between what she knows is right and her anger, she could snap at any moment." Shelley looked at Bella, a deep sadness in her haunting gaze. "They won't let Vicky go, the only reason we were able to escape was because they truly have no hold over us." Vicky had been killed by one of the evil spirits relatives, it would make since that she had a connection with the family. "We had to gain the strength to free ourselves though."

"What are we supposed to do now?" James asked.

"Call for reinforcements," Bella said, rubbing her face with a hand. Her eyes closed tightly, before clearing her throat. "The owners of this house will be here in two days. I suggest we all gather our strength and regroup soon. They know I'll be coming, and they'll whisper their evil into the souls of the others. If we don't put a stop to it soon, something horrible will happen."

Edward had to ask. "Are you sure the owners are really coming home?"

Bella looked away from him, crossing her arms over her chest. "I deserved that, I'm sorry. Right now, you know what I know."

Edward wanted to apologize, but it was too soon. The pain too fresh, the memory of watching her being torn apart too vivid in his mind. She had kept something vital from him, and now Jane's secret. He wouldn't leave her, but trusting her was another matter.

.

.

.

Two days later Bella led him to her house, his truck following close behind her car. She had asked for him earlier to wait for her down the road from the house she was watching, while she returned the keys to homeowners. He had erased any evidence of his stay. Any trace of his tinkering in the network and security was set back to normal, it was as if he had never been there.

James, Shelley and Jane remained close by, but not hovering. Whatever it was Jane needed to say, she was going out of her way to avoid him. Though she had a lot on her mind, and he felt she needed the time to deal with it all. Her family decided to bury her the following day, and Edward debated on attending the funeral. In life, he'd never known Jane. How would his attendance be explained? Or Bella's for that matter.

Bella's house was not what he expected when they arrived. Her flashy car seemed out of place in the driveway of an English style cottage, with a lot of masonry work, and a matching garden. He helped her with her bags, everything between them subdued with the weight of everything.

There had been no need for her to purge since the last time, but she rarely slept. He knew it was partially his fault.

"I'm going to take a shower," she whispered, dropping her purse on her bed. He followed her inside her bedroom to drop off her bags and his. "You're welcome to whatever you need." She didn't look back, or trail her fingers down his arm like she usually did when she wanted to share a shower. He was putting the doubt back in her eyes with his behavior.

He couldn't help it. Fear clogged his veins and filled his mind with countless nightmares. The problem was each one possible because of the horror he'd seen. It scared him. Stripping himself of his clothes, he stepped into the steam filled bathroom shortly after debating with himself. In the corner of the large walk-in shower enclosure sat Bella, her knees pulled up to her chest, her shoulders shaking as she cried.

"Bella." He pulled her up in his arms, whispering the same apologies he had for her. They stepped under the water, holding onto each other so hard, they struggled to breathe.

It hurt to breathe, too much in fact.

Bella pulled away, looking around frantically, she phased her hands and searched the walls. "What is it?" Edward gasped, grasping for the tile wall with one hand. Nearly choking on his tongue, he tried to talk again. "Wha—" Spots started to dance in front of his eyes, but he managed to reach for her.

Her eyes widened in alarm when his other hand fell through the tile. He felt nothing out of ordinary, other than a slight pins and needles feeling in his arm, or where his arm should be. One of her hands turned back to flesh again, pulling his phased arm out of the wall. He looked down, expecting to find a bloody stump, but it was back to normal.

"What the fuck?"

Keeping a phased arm in the wall, she placed his hand on the tile, only for it to happen again. "That's never happened before. Fuck. Keep one hand on me. at all times, Edward. Never take it off. I'm not sure what will happen if I stop phasing while your arm is in the wall."

Edward cocked an eyebrow. "Let's not find out." He reached around, strange to know his hand was following his commands. Though he couldn't see it, he could feel what it was doing. "What am I looking for?"

"There's a presence here," she spat, reaching further into the wall. "That's why we couldn't breathe." The pressure was still in his chest, but it had decreased since Bella started her search.

"How will I know if I found something?"

She didn't need to answer, because the next thing he knew he was plunged into darkness, his hands around a skinny arm. He heard Bella calling out his name, seemingly so far away.

"Let go," she screamed, an unphased arm pulling at his shoulder. She couldn't stop phasing her other arm in the wall without risking his. It was useless to fight, something gripped had a tight hold of him. Memories ran through his mind, though they were not his own. He wasn't looking at the scene from the outside, he was the poor soul. It was happening to him, and the spirit's fear sent him to his knees. His chest felt like it was on fire.

"Let go! Edward!" He felt whatever he had a hold of being shaken, and heard a soft laugh in his ear that chilled his blood. The vision he stepped into was starting to fade, but not before the damage was done. He fell to his knees, his arm slipping out unscathed from the wall. Blood seeped from multiple stab wounds, the pain barely registering as edges of his vision started to darken.

"It's not real, Edward. Oh God, baby. It's not real, look at me." He felt her hands on his face and chest, her palm slick from the water and his blood.

"Don't worry, I'll be right back to watch over you." He heard her scream and saw her reach through the walls in search of the spirit riding him.

"It's not real, Edward!"

The lights overhead flickered, the glass of the shower started to tremble, the tile beneath Bella's feet cracked at the weight of her anger. Her eyes black as coal stared into the wall, with one look over her shoulder at him, he knew something horrible was about to happen. She stepped inside the wall and disappeared.

* * *

 **AN: I'm a horrible, horrible person. The next part isn't in either of their POVs so I had to separate it. In supernatural terms 'riding' means possessing, but in this case, it's more like influencing. I'll try to answer any questions. I know it feels like I'm dragging it out, but a few things need to happen before they go and kick some ass.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

Bella helplessly watched as Edward held his hands over his chest, struggling to breathe. And though she couldn't see everything the spirit riding him was sharing, she knew it had Edward in its clutches. For every forced breath he had to take, the more her anger started to grow. She caught her reflection in the bathroom mirror, saw how close she was to losing herself. Every time he had a second of clarity, able to discern what was real and not, the spirit would pull him back into its grasp.

She felt his pain.

She knew what she had to do. There was no other choice, but to leave Edward alone. She had to traverse another plane to find the spirit riding him. It didn't matter how much she tried to tell him what he was seeing and feeling wasn't real. His mind believed he'd been stabbed multiple times, so his body reacted as if he had been, and it could kill him. In a way he was scaring himself to death. She had seen only once before, and the more horrific the spirit died the harder it was to break from its hold.

She gave him one last look, her hands curling into fists as her anger heated her blood. The blackness she pulled in, growing inside her, bubbled up and spilled from her eyes. It manifested into energy, shaking the very foundation of her surroundings. She swallowed her fears, she couldn't let them rule her. Closing her eyes briefly, she allowed her _entire_ body to phase. She felt a thousand times lighter, freer. For a fraction of a second, she wanted to explore the sensation of being free from the confines of her mortal body. The whisper of her name from Edward instantly grounded her. She promised to help him before turning toward the wall.

Her mind braced for pain as she stepped through layers of tile, plastic, cement board, and wood, but it only lasted for a few seconds. It was agonizing, but once she realized when she was phased, it shouldn't hurt, the pain disappeared. She had to take a moment to assess how she felt, and set out to discover the spirit threatening Edward's life.

How the hell did it get inside? Before she could dwell on the issue, she heard the sound of someone crying. It seemed to move throughout the house, and she did her best to follow it. She called out for James and the others, hoping if they all rallied around Edward, they could help him snap out of the trance. When they didn't answer, she realized something was blocking them from coming inside the house.

What the hell was going on? Her home was her sanctuary, the only safe haven she had. It was the place she could rest without anything other than human could enter. Wards, spells, everything she could do, she did to protect her house so she'd find peace within its walls. Demons and spirits usually had no power there, and couldn't pass through walls of her house. Somehow a spirit was able to pass through her protection, but not the others. It made no sense. If it was able to attack her and Edward from within the house, Jane and the others should be able to come inside, too.

She opened her mind and gifts in search of anything supernatural, but for whatever reason, she couldn't feel anything beyond the house. Looking back one more time at Edward, she caught a brief glimpse of the memories attacking him. It had to be the young woman stabbed to death by her younger brother. The same boy who grew into a man and a serial killer, following the footsteps of his grandfather.

With every step she grew more and more angry and scared, but fear had an ugly effect on her. She pulled in the hate, the anger, and fear, letting it fuel her, expanding her powers to a level she rarely dared to use. It hardly mattered if she went full on dark.

If it saved Edward, it would be worth it.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Edward didn't understand what he was seeing. The image of Bella walking through the wall was superimposed over the image of his mangled chest. It wasn't possible, Bella had said she never completely phased due to fear she'd die from by doing so. Yet she disappeared into a fucking wall.

What had she said before she disappeared? Why did she leave him there, dying, bleeding, and in so much pain? It was excruciating, though the pain was starting to lessen as the seconds that felt like hours ticked by. He looked down at his hands expecting to find them covered in his blood, but they were clean. Wet and clean. The tips of his fingers wrinkled from being in water for too long, like in a pool or bath. He wasn't in the middle of some forest, drowning in his own blood. As soon as the realization hit him, he was once again bombarded with memories, a searing pain in his chest made him gasp and groan.

Bella's words echoed in his head, her beautiful face covered in tears and fear swam through the dense fog between two images. _"It's not real, Edward. Oh God, baby. It's not real, look at me."_

He looked down at his bloody chest, feeling the nine stab words as if they were still there. As if it had happened to him. They hadn't though, because Bella was right. It wasn't real.

"It's not real! It's not fucking real!"

He closed his eyes, the ground started to tremble under his feet. A shampoo bottle tumbled from the shelf, rolling along the tiled floor, and then another. Something seemed to make the air around him vibrate with energy. It was so strong and despite the destructive power, he knew its source – Bella. And she was pissed.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Bella felt Edward trying to break himself free from the spell, and doing so on his own, an impressive feat. She knew he had it in him, and she was doing her part to help, giving the ghost a taste of her own medicine. Scaring her with her power. The ground and walls rumbled with her anger, with her need to save Edward.

The others were right; Heidi Lexington's spirit was on the threshold of becoming something sinister. However, Heidi was frightened of her, enough to run when Bella almost had her. "Damn it!" she cried, reaching outward for the wayward spirit. She heard Edward call for her, the sound of his voice pulling her toward him. There was no denying it, it was stronger than the need to hunt and destroy the fleeing spirit. From the hallway leading to her living room and kitchen, she watched Edward frantically search through each room through the wall. It was translucent to her, she'd never experienced it before and it would help in future hunts.

Edward caught her attention again, he had pulled on some pants, his body still wet from the shower they shared before everything went to shit. She knew he was gorgeous, but in all the time since they met, she hardly had a chance to look at him so fully. His chest, though on the lean side, was sculpted beautifully, highlighting the dips and valleys of his muscles. A small smattering of hair trailed down the middle of his abdomen, disappearing into the waistband of his jeans. He had a small mole, along one side of the inviting shape of his hips. She wanted to explore it, with the tip of her finger and her lips. Her tongue.

It was startling how much she felt, the desire for Edward had been there from the start, but she hadn't expected to feel so much while phased.

"Bella! Fucking answer me!" As he passed her, he stopped and looked right at the wall where she stood behind of, watching him. "Bella?" He reached to touch the wall, his hand falling through, making them both curse in surprise. Suddenly she felt his hand on her arm, being pulled toward him at the same time her body came to flesh.

She screamed, but the pain lasted only a second, long enough to remember it shouldn't hurt. They stood there, panting and utterly clueless what had just happened. Even as she stood before him, her mind continued to process everything she learned. The thing she was most confused about was how had she come down from her episode without purging? Was it Edward?

"Are you okay?" she asked, surprised to find it hurt to talk.

Edward arms wrapped around her tightly, his nose nuzzling her neck and shoulder. "Fuck no." He shook his head, taking her hand in his after a minute. He led them into the kitchen. "I'm suddenly fucking starving, but we're going to talk about what the fuck just happened."

"Uh, I don't have an issue with that, but I'm naked." He stopped, looked at her from the top of her head to her toes, lingering longer than needed on her chest and legs. The desire she felt while watching him renewed, stronger than before. "Let me get some clothes on."

"I could use the distraction, please."

How could she refuse him? She followed him, while she opened her mind to everything around her, in search of the spirit that invaded her home. The events started to unfold in her mind, working through the possibilities and explanations.

Edward appeared confused, and likely in shock. After eating, he'd probably knock out within a few minutes. There was also a good chance he wouldn't remember much. Vicky had after she witnessed a non-standard crossover after discovering what she could do. She had thought it was just a nightmare. Sometimes, Bella wished nights like that were bad dreams, but her reality could be just as horrifying.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Edward was in a state of numbness. There was a healthy dose of 'what the fuck' followed by a bit of 'you've got to be kidding me' but fear wasn't the most prominent for some reason. He was clearly losing his shit, his mind was sending all the bad stuff to a deep, dark corner. Somewhere he couldn't find it.

Bella talked animatedly about what happened in her bathroom, but he barely heard a word. Sure her pretty pink nipples were distracting, or her cute little belly button begged for him to tease with the tips of his fingers. A voice in his head wanted to kick his ass for allowing himself to be so distracted, but he needed it. _Just a while longer_ , he told himself. Maybe it was a some fucked up dream.

"I haven't heard a word you said." Honesty was the best policy, and for them it had to be. "In fact, you're probably not even real. Just like watching my chest bleed hadn't been real." Bella's eyes narrowed, and a spark of black fire rose within their depths. She reached over and pinched his arm, hard. "Ow! What the fuck was that for?" There was a damn welt forming.

"Just wanted to prove I'm real."

He rubbed his arm. "I'm having a hard with all of this. It's fucking insane. I thought you said your house was safe. You said it would allow you to rest so you could to be ready to go to that damn hellhole tomorrow and save those souls. Some of which can't be saved, according to you and Jasper. Instead, we were here, five fucking minutes, and I almost die. You phased completely, when you could've ended up being _Casperized_ forever and you're expecting me to believe all this is fucking real."

"As real as the tits you're staring at," she said as she stood, walking over to a cabinet and pulling on a red apron. Well fuck, he didn't mean to make her uncomfortable. "This is all I have handy. Now can you try looking at my face please?"

"I'm sorry, Bella. I'm freaking out and my mind is going to the one place where I'm fucking happy. And that's inside you. God, that sounds awful. Sorry."

"No offense taken."

"But if the situation was reversed and you had no clue any of this was possible, you'd be doing the same."

She went back to her sandwich and chips, eating and gathering her thoughts. "I pretty much grew up like this, so yeah, I don't know what it's like to live a normal life. I can understand to some degree, but only because you're pretty much reacting to it all like Vicky had. At first she wanted to know everything, and when she finally saw how intense it can get, she freaked out. She believed she was having a nightmare. One she couldn't wake up from. I had to tell her about her mother haunting her to get her to snap out of it."

Edward rubbed his face and groaned. "I had a few spirits whisper things in my ear, even had one visit my dream once, but I never had one take over like that. I actually thought I was dying."

"I know."

"Do you know how this happened?" A dark look came over her, he touched her fingers and her eyes softened to their natural color again.

"I think I figured it out. Let's finish eating, I'll show you."

He agreed, still hungry but found it strange he had an appetite after what he'd seen and felt in the last half hour. She explained once that dealing with the spirits took considerable energy, and after she often was often wanting to consume food. As they ate, mostly in silence, Edward ran his eyes over every exposed inch of Bella. For someone with the ability to walk through walls, other the dark circles under her eyes, she looked fine.

He had to ask. "Is the ghost still here?" He closed himself off when they sat down to eat, needing a break for a few minutes. He was better at quieting the voices since they met.

"No," she whispered. "She took one look at me after I…anyway, she spooked."

His jaw dropped a little. "I can't believe you said that."

She laughed and helped him clean up after they were done with their food. Leading the way, he watched her bare ass, all framed by red ruffles from her apron. It took considerable control to stop from touching her.

"I swear I didn't scare her away on purpose," she continued, oblivious to where his mind went. "It would've been easier to take care of her now than tomorrow. Ready?" She stopped by a living room window.

He nodded, gently squeezing her fingers in his hand.

"Now, for you to understand, my grandmother and I went through a lot to get all the protection for this house. I had to have a safe haven for me."

"But it's obvious it didn't work."

"That's the thing, it had always worked before. My grandmother bought this house when I was a child, even though we moved around a lot, we always came back here for a little while. She started the process of fortifying it since I was a child. I had Caius Lexington's vengeful spirit right outside, huffing and puffing with no way in the house. He was the strongest spirit I'd been up against before his grandparents. Trust me when I say, my house was a safe place."

"So what happened?"

She walked over to a window, on the white sill was a strange circle burned into the wood, like someone had used a branding iron. On each side of the image was a crack, the wood had split down the center, but the circle and inside it was intact.

"See the cracks here and here, but not between?" she pointed out, her finger running along the cracks. "When the crack split the spell, it killed it, allowing Heidi inside.""

"The crack isn't running through the spell now though? The spell looks complete."

"I think I fixed it," she said, barely looking at him. "I think that's why Heidi is gone now. Between scaring her and the power of the spell, she probably had no choice. Remember when I said there are times where my instincts take over. This is one of those times."

What she meant by 'I fixed it' was the little earthquake he felt earlier. It had been her.

"Time out. I need a drink." Edward spun and headed toward a liquor cabinet they had passed on the way toward the window. Bella sat beside him on the couch seconds later, as he drank two shots, before returned his attention to her. "Okay, you may continue."

"Edward," she whispered, taking his hand in hers. He knew what she wanted to say, but thankfully she didn't offer for him to walk away. There was only so many times he could hear those words and not feel like it was what she wanted.

"I'm okay, Bella. I'm here, please continue."

She looked ready to argue, but one shake of his head and she chose not to. "I will continue, if I can make a suggestion."

"Anything. I think that's obvious, even if I check out every once and a while. I'll still be here." Minor meltdowns were expected in their line of work. It wouldn't be the first time, and he doubted it would be his last.

"How about a two-week vacation anywhere in the world, preferably tropical. I can handle a cabin, too." When he had said nothing, too shocked she'd even suggest such a thing, she looked ready to backpedal. He knew how insecure she felt about how her gift drove people away, and his distance lately and his latest reaction seemed to reaffirm her beliefs.

"That sounds perfect" he whispered, releasing her hand and cradling her face gently to brush his lips over hers for several seconds. "The idea of you on the beach in a bikini sounds amazing. Now before I get preoccupied with those images, please continue."

She huffed when he pulled away from her mouth. "How am I supposed to think now after kissing me?" He tried to move away, but she grabbed onto his hands tightly and led back to the kitchen for some reason.

"Okay. I can do this. While you were lost in Heidi's memories, feeling and seeing what she did, I phased fully to search for her. I knew she was in the house, and as I looked, I pulled in as much of the negative energy from around me, including her. I think it weakened her, helped you break her hold on you, and scared her off. Once I realized she was in the house, I opened my mind more and saw that some of the protection around the house had been broken. I was getting angrier by the second, add that to all the pain, fear, and anger I was pulling inside me. Then adding hers, yours, and my own emotions, it manifested into the minor tremor, fixing the broken seals. Again, my instincts kicked in, and I'm guessing you'll be seeing more of that tomorrow."

"I'll address the 'minor tremor' later, but I have to ask. How is a spell broken?"

"Depends on the kind, in this case, no demon or spirit would be able to break them. So either a human or something else did it. Whatever it was, it was capable of breaking all of the seals at the same time by splitting wood and tiles." She pointed to tiles under the kitchen window with intact spells, but the tiles had clearly broken in half at one point, like the window sill she showed him.

"What the fuck has the power to do something like that, Bella? Are you telling me there's something more powerful than demons and spirits around here?"

"I have no idea, I never met anyone or experienced something like this. The last time I went almost completely dark, I killed a man, but through phasing. Earthquakes has never been in my bag of tricks."

He didn't know how to address the magnitude of what she'd done. "I'm trying to decide if what just happened is a good thing or not?"

She bit her lip and exhaled sharply. "I think it was."

"Me almost dying is a good thing?"

"No, fuck no. Edward, the last time I went as dark as I had just been, I purged for almost a full twelve hours straight. Broke about every bone in my body to do it." He flinched at the idea of her in so much pain. "Right now, I don't feel it inside me. It's gone and I think it's because you touched me."

"I thought you said when I touched you, you pushed it back down."

"I thought the same thing, but I guess I was wrong. Maybe I was being too cautious before to let you. You mean so much to me already, Edward. I had to be careful, and I'll continue to do so."

In other words, she didn't want him risking his life by touching her when the darkness within her threatened to take over. He wasn't making any promises.

"So explain how I was able to pull you out of the wall?"

"I think when I phase through a wall, it does something to the wall itself so you were able to pull me free. How did you know where I was anyway?"

Edward shook his head. "In a way it's like when a ghost is nearby, I sense that its close, but maybe because we're deeply connected, I knew exactly where you were. I couldn't see you, but I felt you."

"We're going to be okay, Edward. I truly believe we will be fine tomorrow. I know the thought of stepping on that property scares you, it scares me, too. But we'll get through it together."

"Together sounds so fucking good."

Unable to curb his desire any longer, he kissed her, gently at first. The last thing he wanted was to scare her with how desperate he wanted to touch her, hold her, and climb inside her. Her arms wrapped around his neck, a moan emerging from between her lips as his own trailed down her neck. He rose to his feet, pulling her up and around him. They had hours before they had to settle down for the night, prepare and rest for the following morning. Until then, he'd show her how much she meant to him.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Edward startled awake, taking a few seconds to remember he was in Bella's bedroom. Groggily, he looked around as he stretched and realized he couldn't remember made him wake up. He usually slept like the dead after such a long day. No pun intended, but it just took something considerable to even make him stir in his sleep. Was it a noise? Awareness of another presence? It wouldn't be the first time he'd open his eyes and found a ghost standing over him.

This time however, upon opening his eyes, the view was better.

Bella sat at the foot of the bed, completely naked, with her legs crossed in front of her, and her hands placed on her knees, palms up. She was meditating. A glow or something internal made her appear almost ethereal, though maybe he was still dreaming. Careful not to disturb her, he moved off the bed. He knew how important it was for her to do this, because the longer she managed to mediate would help prepare herself spiritually, physically and mentally for what lay ahead.

The night before he had offered to stay in one of the other bedrooms, but she insisted she'd rest better with him beside her. She even stated having him close made her feel safe. He hadn't been able to refuse her, especially after spending hours worshiping her body. Everything that happened the nigher before threatened to surface, filling his mind with cock hardening memories. He pushed them back, determined to make some breakfast for Bella.

After a quick stop in the bathroom to relieve himself and freshen up, he walked back into the bedroom to find Bella hadn't moved at all. It was hard to believe she was likely unaware of his presence. He'd seen her in action and knew she was always aware of her surroundings, but she told him she'd be pretty deep under when he woke up. She had to feel comfortable and safe to mediate so deeply, which made him feel better. She trusted him.

How does one prepare for something like this? In all the years since his mind opened up to the supernatural and spiritual world, he realized he never felt prepared for any of it. Most of the time he was flying by the seat of his pants, he always learned something new after each hunt or crossover. Shortly after he had awoken in the hospital, finding not one, but three ghosts attached to him, he hadn't handled it well. Along with feeling responsible and a healthy dose of survivor's guilt over James, he had turned to drinking. He had pushed everyone away, all in an attempt to forget what happened. It had taken his uncle, and three ghosts to knock some sense in him. It wasn't easy, even after five years since the accident. His memories of that night were cloudy, most leading up to the accident and after were gone, but he'd never forget James died because of him.

"Stop it," Bella whispered, startling him enough for him to bang his knee on the dresser.

"Fucking hell, Bella. Make a noise or something, you almost gave me a heart attack." He took a few breaths and cleared his throat, watching her roll her shoulders. It was hard to take his eyes off her, she was still naked. Hadn't she said something? "What did you say?"

"I said to 'stop it'." She cracked one eye open, cocking a slim eyebrow. "You're stuck in your head, and right now, where your thoughts are going could be used against you where we're heading. Vengeful spirits like those we'll encounter can and will use your fears and your guilt to manipulate and hurt you. Try to not to dwell on something right now. I know it's hard, but try to clear your mind as much as you can before we go."

Another deep breath and he nodded. She was right, going into a situation feeling out of sorts was not a good idea. They needed to have clear heads, it was hard to let go, but he would to ensure their safety. "A shower would help." It came out more like a question than a statement, in a way asking her to join him. She offered a smile, rose from bed, taking his hand and leading him to the bathroom. There was no better way to take his mind off things he had no control over than being with someone he cared for, especially a wet Bella.

 _Cared for, riiight. H_ e wouldn't dwell on his feelings yet either.

.

.

.

Jasper tapped his fingers on the steering wheel of his truck, feeling both impatient and wary of the situation. He was waiting for the others to arrive at the appointed place, less than a mile down the road from the Lexington property. The land was a forty-three-acre lot once belonging to a well-known serial killer.

What the public didn't know yet, was that series of grisly murders weren't the first on the property.

As usual, he was the first to arrive, his truck idling near the mouth of the driveway leading to the main building. It wasn't his first time there and he was positive he'd visit it several hundred times over the rest of his existence. There was a reason why the property had become so notorious through the centuries, things most people knew nothing about. There had been events that happened there, way before records were kept.

It was curse sometimes to live with such a burden, to live for so long.

His thoughts turned away from his own problems and focused on two of the people joining him soon. Bella and Edward, it was remarkable how many times their souls had crossed paths with his long life. He could no longer believe it was a coincidence. Would it be different this time? Or are they destined to repeat the same mistakes over and over again? Something was different this time around, someone was helping Bella.

Yet, there was another hindering her, them, as in every life before this one.

Who had the most to gain? Who was the enemy that always seemed to be several steps ahead of the tragic couple in every life? Did they also perish like them in each life? Or was it something _other._ The questions quickly outnumbered the facts he had at his current disposal. Later, he'd have to mediate and do his best to find the answers likely embedded in eon-old memories. There was so much in his mind that he had to store it away, and dig around for it when needed. It took considerable time. The mystery around Bella and Edward had gone on long enough, it was time for him to seek answers. He could find answers from the only other immortal he personally knew. Yes, it was time for a long overdue meeting with the man.

.

.

.

"I don't like the detective," Edward said, watching the man in question from the passenger seat of Bella's truck. "He hovers around you, kind of creepy and he's a restraining order away from stalker." What was it about him that made Edward itch to take Bella and run?

"He called twice since yesterday," Bella said, turning off the engine. The group of people gathered near the Lexington entrance, all turned to look at them as they pulled up, but Detective Biers was on the verge of stalking toward them. It was Jasper who seemed to hold him back with whatever they were discussing. "He's harmless."

"Are you sure about that?" Edward's eyes narrowed as it seemed the detective had reached a breaking point and started toward them again. "He looks about ready to handcuff you to him to keep you close."

"It's not what you think." Bella sighed and shook her head, looking straight at the detective. He stopped and turned away, likely cursing, too. "I remind of his sister. I haven't been able to get a good read on the situation or her for that matter, but it was ugly and it is marking him in a way that scares me. I need to talk to her, find out what happened without his influence."

"Why can't you?"

"She's attached to him, so unless he's knocked out cold, I can't get a moment of privacy."

"Well fuck, that explains a few things and issues I had in the past. Remind me that soon, after our vacation of course, to have a long talk about some of the rules that seem to apply to the supernatural world. I'm a fucking beginner, I need to know what you know."

She turned to him and shrugged. "First thing you need to know, that there are no set rules, just things I've learned to make things easier. Also, rules are meant to be broken, and a spirit, if powerful enough can break them. Never rely on rules on saving you. Today, we're going in there to help some of the souls trapped there, held captive by spirits shrouded in evil, powerful ones. We may not be completely successful, but we're going to put up one hell of a fight."

The picture she painted in dark shades of gray did little to soothe his nerves. "I don't want to lose you, Bella."

"You won't." She grabbed his hand, pulling it to her chest. "You won't and vice versa. I want you around for a long time."

He released her hand and settled it on the back of her head, to pull her closer and brush her lips with his own. "In other words, we're about to kick some ass." She laughed against his mouth, her smile worth another kiss or two. Until some asshole detective in jeans and button down shirt knocked on the window. She sighed, puckering up one more time, and having no problem with a little PDA. He was willing to play along, just in case the detective's interest was more than what Bella could do to help him with his sister.

They exited the truck together, and Edward quickly circled the front of it to tuck Bella against his side. Was it territorial? Probably, but he didn't give a fuck. There was enough shit with the power to destroy them, he wasn't about to let some man with questionable links to his dead sister be one of them.

The detective and Jasper joined them, a film crew Bella had arranged for remained beside a large white van, going over their equipment. As they spoke, Edward realized Bella's eyes remained on Jasper. She appeared confused, but also slightly alarmed, too. She sent Riley, as the detective asked them to call him, to tell everyone to go up ahead to set up. They'd join them in a few minutes, leaving them alone with Jasper.

"What are you?" she asked, her lips thinning considerably.

As calm and collected as ever, Jasper replied, "Why do you ask?"

Bella shook her head. "There's something different about you today. Like a shroud or mask has been lifted." Jasper merely tipped his head to one side and smiled. "We've met before, haven't we?"

"Yes, in another life."

It wasn't the first time Jasper mentioned past lives, and Bella had, too. Edward opened his mind, he wanted to see what Bella did as she looked as his old friend. The instant he did, he stepped back from Jasper in shock. "What the fuck? You're glowing off the charts. What are you?"

"He's immortal."

Jasper slipped his hands in his pants pocket, nodding slightly. "As I believe your father is."

Bella's face twisted with obvious distrust and rose her hand, instantly sending Jasper up in the air and pinning him to the side of her truck. "What do you know about my damn father?"

"Nothing, I swear," Jasper choked, gasping for breath, but Bella refused to back off. "It's a theory!"

Edward stepped closer, anger coursing through him. "You've known something was different about Bella since you met and you're just fucking telling us something like this. What do you mean 'in another life?'"

"This is not the first time your souls have met. I think you've been cursed to meet and die young in each and every life." As quickly as the words left his mouth, the memories rushed through their minds, sending them both Edward and Bella to their knees.

 _Bella was bleeding in his arms, shot by an armed robber, surrounded by people on the busy strip. His heart burned so hot, he knew he'd be dead within seconds, too.  
_

 _Bella was screaming as she held his hand, the river's current too strong for either of them to fight, especially while she wore a full bustle and corset.  
_

 _Bella crying for him to breathe as she removed a needle from his arm, her beautiful face framed by long hair and a crown of flowers.  
_

 _Bella ran along his side, a creature who moved as stealthy as shadows chased them to the cliff's edge, and they jumped plunging into the raging ocean waters.  
_

Bella screamed and sobbed, snapping Jasper's neck due to her pain and anger. He dropped to the ground instantly, slumping against the truck, his eyes wide open. Edward watched as she crawled toward Jasper's body, tears spilling from her eyes, as her hands fisted in his shirt. "Get up! Get up, you fucking asshole. I know you heal in only a few seconds."

Jasper's eyelashes started to flutter, a groan slipping from his lips as neck righted itself with a sickening crack. Edward watched all of this through half-lidded eyes, still lost in the memories of their past lives and deaths. They lived over a hundred lives, each one he met Bella, dying less than two years after meeting. Never more.

"I don't have the answers you want yet," Jasper whispered, groaning again. "I'm sorry for not saying something sooner."

"Who has fucking answers?" Bella hissed, pulling him closer only to smack his head against the truck. "If you don't someone out there does."

Jasper did nothing to fight back, taking every nasty word she gave him. "There's another immortal, he may have the answers."

Bella got in Jasper's face, still seething. "You picked the wrong fucking time to unveil all of this. If we survive, you will take us to him. If something happens to us, to Edward, because we're weaker after what we just learned and remembered, I will keep you locked in a basement to kill you over and over again for as long as I live. Nothing can stop me from doing it, Jasper. Not even you."

"Understood." Jasper looked over to Edward. "I'm sorry."

Disgusted, Edward looked away. "I've known you for years, you should be." They all rose to their feet, but Bella and Edward backed away from Jasper. "We can't trust you now, keep your distance from the both of us while we're here."

Longer if Edward could manage it.

Jasper nodded and offered another apology, climbing into his truck and heading down to the house. Bella turned to Edward and sobbed against his chest for a solid ten minutes, and he kept himself in control to provide her the comfort she needed. The memory of countless deaths would haunt him forever. Were they destined to die each other's arms again?

They drove up to the main house twenty minutes after the others had gone ahead, to find everyone staring at a swirling mass of dark clouds directly above the imposing structure. The rest of the sky was a bright, beautiful blue. Lighting struck the house twice as they reunited with the others.

"Where should we start?" Peter, a crew member from a local paranormal investigating team asked. His bright blue eyes were filled with excitement. Most of his crew looked the same, all hoping to catch evidence and personal experiences they could boast about with others.

If they knew what they were in store for, they'd probably run.

Bella pointed to a clearing to the right, and to a small worn path leading to the forest behind the house. "Most of the activity will be centered around the barn and the burial sites. There's mostly residual in the house, though that could change of the Lexington family decide to join us there."

Peter looked at Bella, waving a EMF reader toward her. His eyes widened to almost cartoon level as she often made such equipment go haywire. "Will they be joining us?"

Wind lashed cold and fast, carrying with it the scent of decay and a spine tingling cackle from Mr. Lexington himself. "I think that answers your question."

* * *

 **AN: I'm sorry if this chapter is a huge mess. I'm having huge internet issues and thought I better post while it's working. I probably just shocked a lot of you with Jasper's revelation. I did mention Bella has some memories of past lives, just not everything. I'll do my best to answer questions you may have, as long as they don't reveal any future events.**

 **The Haunting of Bella Swan is up for Best Horror Fic for the Fanatic Fanfic Multi-Fandom Awars, a couple of my collab fics are up too Strong Foundations and Stupid Volvo Owner. You can find the link on my profile, go vote for your favorites.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

* * *

"Give me a moment please," Bella said to everyone ready to get started. She didn't wait for an answer and closed her eyes, long enough to open her mind, but allow what she learned from Jasper deeper in her mind. She placed all the memories of her past lives, lives she had shared with Edward's soul, into a box, protecting it with walls made of brick, reinforced titanium, surrounded by barbed wire and canons. Sometimes being open made her vulnerable to mental attacks. She was usually good at shutting a spirit out, but her heart was heavier than usual.

Her confidence and faith had taken a stab though, knowing that her relationship with Edward was destined to end in two short years, by death. She pushed the memories further into the back of her mind, closing it until she was ready to make sense of them.

"I'm ready," she whispered a minute later, trying hard to believe her own words. Her eyes opened to find Edward closely watching her. The worry in his gaze only strengthened her defenses, she had to be alert. She had to stay on top of it all if she had any hope in protecting him.

"Bella," he whispered, cradling her face gently and pressing his forehead against hers. "Stay with me." She agreed with a simple nod and kiss. He clasped her hand tightly, and then they turned to face the group together.

For the cameras and official record, Riley needed to give everyone some details of the case. Edward and Bella strapped up with button cameras and digital recorders.

"As most of you are aware, this property belonged to the Caius Lexington, also known as The Nightingale Killer. We believe he killed his victims here, but left their bodies elsewhere. While the alleged suspect was under investigation, our people found the property and were about to obtain a warrant when the suspect died from apparent natural causes." He looked at Bella for a moment, as if he knew she had something to do with his death.

She looked Riley square in the eyes, giving nothing away.

"Ms. Swan stumbled upon a large group of burial sites when part of a historical group insisted on overseeing the property." He skipped over the part where they were attacked, though Edward understood his reasons. "Our team uncovered the remains of over two dozen young women, all approximately between 18-29 years of age, with similar backgrounds and matching descriptions. All dead for more than twenty years. The late Caius Lexington inherited his property from his grandfather Marcus Lexington after his death, two years after the most recent victim was buried."

"What happened to The Nightingale Killer's parents?" One of the paranormal investigators asked, holding up a digital recorder. "And can we just call him NK from now on, or his name Caius? This full name crap pisses me off."

Everyone agreed.

"NK's parents were in a suspicious but horrific car accident when he was a child, the father passed at the scene, his mother survived, but she had some brain damage and had to have around the clock care. As revealed to the media, she died in the nursing home where Caius Lexington found his victims. The hospital was found to be negligent in their care."

Edward leaned toward Bella to ask for some clarification about the number of victims, but another voice stopped him.

"Are we under the impression that the grandfather killed the new set of victims? Or Caius had when he was only a child?" Jasper asked, again for the sake of the cameras and the others. He glanced toward Bella, grimacing at the blank look she had for him, not that Edward blamed her.

He didn't bother to look at him at all.

"That's still under investigation." The detective only offered a shrug as everyone groaned at the typical non-answer from an authority figure. "However, Bella can help with that, but let me say for the record, anything she says is considered speculation and not fact." He waved his hand to her, the cameraman immediately swinging toward her.

"I believe Marcus Lexington mentored his grandson in everything, including murder. His grandmother encouraged her husband's need for such darkness, as he was the long, lost daughter of the late Aro Valentine. Something only recently discovered due to some paperwork found on the property."

"Holy fuck," someone hissed, his hands in his dark hair. Edward couldn't remember his name, but he was with the paranormal team. "One of the biggest mob bosses in history is The Nightingale Killer's great grandfather."

"Yes," Bella said, nodding as she came to a stop, just short of house. The porch wrapped around the dark home, but instead of warming it up, or make it look inviting, it appeared gloomier. As if the railing was ready to claim another victim, some of the spindles having broken away from the top rail. They reached out like bony fingers. "If my memory serves me right, Marcus was allegedly Aro Valentine's right hand man before he fell in love with his daughter Athena."

Riley continued with what information he was allowed to release. "Rumors indicated that Aro was not happy about the relationship, and flat out tried to put a stop to it. Sometime later, Aro Valentine and five of his men were shot in a bloody scene in his home, his daughter missing. Marcus DeMarco was believed to be dead, shot in the face."

"He faked his own death, and made it appear as if Aro Valentine's daughter had been kidnapped," Bella suggested.

"With that kind of bloody history, it's no wonder Marcus Lexington had to kill, he developed an addiction to it. But why women?" Riley seemed to be talking out loud. "And does that mean that his grandson Caius helped him commit those murders? He would've been a kid. And what of his son before the car accident? Was he ever involved?"

"I have no idea, but maybe we'll find out more as the investigation continues." Bella looked at each person, a total of eleven people. She was taking a head count, and Edward hoped it was for safety reasons and not because she believed they'd lose someone. "Be on alert out there. You may see full apparitions, shadows, and hear voices throughout the night. For now, we will not purposefully agitate the spirits into showing themselves." She looked at the paranormal crew, well known for such tactics.

"Always be aware of your surroundings. No one, and I mean no one, is allowed to go off alone. Pick a buddy now, he or she will be with you for the rest of the night. Be prepared for anything. I know some of you are upset that I had asked Riley to disarm everyone before we got started. I know that you hoped a gun might be helpful, but I can tell you a bullet will do nothing to a spirit. In fact, it could've increased the chances of shooting one of us. I've seen it happen."

"If we're in trouble, what do we do?" A woman with long blond hair and a member of the paranormal team asked the question, her name escaping Edward. Regina? Raven? Damn it, he wasn't ready for this. His head wasn't on straight and it could cost them. He worked to clear his mind, to close up his memories in a box like Bella suggested for him to try.

"Jasper all handed you a strobe light and whistle. I know it's not much, but trust me, it's best to get as many people around you to displace a spirit. The light and whistle will help guide us to you. The salt bags Edward is passing around now, we're passing around now, will help, a palm full will send a spirit away long enough for you to escape." She turned to the only other woman with them as Edward gave everyone a small pouch with rock salt. "Reya, you match the description of the victims from the cold cases, for that reason, you'll be coming with Edward and me."

"We don't like to separate," the cameraman stated, side-stepping closer to Reya. "She's my girlfriend, where she goes, I go."

"That's fine, William, I'm guessing your sound guy Jason has to come, too?" William nodded, waving Jason over. "All right, that leaves Jasper and Riley, both are wearing cameras and mikes on them. Each of them has to go with at least one of the paranormal team, each armed with their own equipment."

They divided into three groups, Edward and Bella's the largest, with five of them. Riley's team of three was heading to the house to get a general reading of each room and set up cameras and a central station for everyone to check in, but only after Bella stated she didn't expect activity other than residual for a while. Most of the energy seemed to focused on the burial site and barn. Jasper and two team members named Lawrence and Taylor, were visiting the dilapidated barn, one of the locations confirmed to be where Caius killed the nurses and the doctor, including Bella's best friend.

Edward and Bella's group continued toward the trees, to a small worn footpath that led to the large burial site. Awaiting them near the mouth of the clearing was something indistinct, transparent and seemed to be pacing, and large. It made shadows appear darker around it. The others were oblivious, as they continued to go over their equipment and their plan of attack.

Edward was nervous about where they were going, the same area that essentially attacked them with dead bodies. There wasn't any more bones there, but something potentially worse. Restless and angry spirits.

"Remind me again of how many spirits we're dealing with?" Edward asked in a whisper, falling back from the other three.

"You don't want to know," she said, stopping their advance as the others continued. He insisted. "There's almost forty spirits here." She looked up at him and placed her hands on his chest. "Edward, just in case I don't get a chance to tell you later…"

Something warm and welcoming in her eyes caused him to stop her. He immediately covered her mouth with a few fingers. "Don't you dare tell me now, please wait until we walk away from this."

"You have no idea what I was going to say," she said, trying hard to appear mad, but failing. "I could've been telling you anything."

He doubted it, the words were clear in her eyes. "Your timing is fucking incredible, but I'm going to take a chance and say ditto in response to whatever you were going to say."

Yeah, he went there.

She shook her head, jumping to her toes to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him. "You ready?"

He felt ready now. It wasn't the best time to be open about their feelings, but knowing she felt the same grounded him in a way he hadn't expected. "I am now." They joined the others who remained yards away from the trees.

Reya, a local college student dressed in a t-shirt with the words _Fairfield Paranormal Investigation_ across the front stood beside Bella, the others just behind her. "Did they tell you I was a sensitive, too?"

Bella smiled. "They didn't have to tell me. I knew it when I first saw you."

"Same here with you two," Reya said, looking between Edward and Bella. "You and Edward give off this sense of power I only feel with others like me." Edward was surprised by the news, Jasper said he had a glow in his aura that others didn't have. It didn't seem to be what Reya was describing. "Except about a hundred times stronger."

Bella's brow tightened in confusion, as if she was trying to work out what Reya was saying. The others were all listening to the conversation, but mostly kept the questions or concerns to themselves. Before Bella had a chance to ask Reya for some clarification something ahead of them called out.

The group stilled, except for the cameraman. William whirled until his camera pointed toward the sound. Jason lifted his mike higher above William, making tiny adjustments on his equipment in his bag. He motioned at Bella, Reya, and Edward to move ahead with a tilt of his head.

"Did you hear that?" Reya asked, keeping her eyes on the break between the trees leading to the burial site. The shape Edward had seen earlier was looking more defined, though still transparent, he could make out the shape of people. Several of them moved in some kind of hypnotic dance.

"I'm picking up a few voices," Jason murmured, shaking his head. "They're distorted, and I can't make out what they're saying."

"They're singing." Bella stepped forward, keeping Edward's hand in hers and her voice low. "The media isn't aware, but The Nightingale Killer left a piece of paper with two lines of a song on each of his victims."

The hair on the back of Edward's neck and arms started to stand up, as the voices grew louder. Rising and falling with the notes of the eerie melody. More and more voices joined the first, filling the air around them with a dark energy, sending chills up his spine.

"They also found an old record player with the song on it, here on the property. We think he played the song as he started to kill them, and the two lines he left behind was where the victim died in the song."

As if they heard Bella, a strong wind swept toward them, carrying a scent of death and blood.

"Oh God," Reya whispered, covering her stomach with her hands. "I think I'm going to be sick." Bella cursed, helping Reya to her knees as she dry heaved. Her wide blue eyes filled with tears.

Bella held her hand over Reya's stomach for a second, cursing a few times as she stood up. "You need to leave."

"What? Why?" William seemed less concerned about capturing video than whatever was wrong with his girlfriend.

Edward's oh-shit-meter was pretty spot on and he knew when something horrible was on the way, as Reya's memories filled his head. "She's exactly what he wants." He helped Reya to her feet, pushing another flashlight and a bag of salt in her hand. "Get out of here."

"Why?" William wanted answers, Edward couldn't blame him. But it wasn't the time.

"All of NK's victims were nurses or a doctor." Edward radioed Riley and Jasper, they had to get Reya off the property. "And she matches the description of his victims. Blonde hair, twenty-two years old, no parents." She was perfect candidate for Marcus Lexington to continue his grandson's work and his own.

It wasn't long before Riley and the others joined them halfway between the house and the forest.

William insisted on answers. "And they all worked the nursing home that his mother stayed at. Reya never worked there."

Reya grimaced and grabbed her head. "Yes, I did. I had to complete my hours there."

"Oh fuck," William said whatever was thinking. "You never said that!"

"I never should've agreed to allow his kind of investigation," Riley hissed, hauling Reya by the arm. "If I'd know you matched the victims to a fucking T, you wouldn't be here. Even I know he'd come after you and I'm still a skeptic." He had a car with two of his friends down the road from the property, a safety precaution in case something went wrong and they didn't check in with them every hour. All he had to do was make a call and they'd call for help. "The entire paranormal crew is leaving."

The members of the team protested, even though they agreed Reya needed to leave. Riley was having none of it. He turned to Bella and pointed at her. Edward stepped between him and Bella, reading Riley's misplaced anger easily. "Can you guarantee no one will get hurt?"

"Back off," Edward said, barely resisting the urge to push Riley out of Bella's personal space.

"There's no way I can do that, Ri. They're getting angrier, so it won't be long before something makes a move."

"Then that means she's leaving. I'll let the others stay, but we're…"

A blood curdling scream came from behind them, the entire group turning toward the sound. Another came from the right, and soon, no matter where they turned, screams could be heard all around them.

"It's too late," Bella whispered. "Stay together, they're coming."

"Who's coming?"

"Are you all seeing this?" William asked, adjusting the camera on his shoulder. "The camera is picking up several shapes, people or whatever, surrounding us."

Riley and Jasper kept everyone in a tight circle, Reya and Bella in the middle. Edward remained by Bella's side, trying to determine what to do next. She grabbed the back of his jacket, and whispered in his ear. He nodded at her instructions, and rolled his neck in preparation. One look at Bella, a palm full of salt, and he ran toward at one of the spirits, displacing it immediately. It wailed in response, appearing several feet away from the rest of the group. Catching on, the others started to the same, except for Reya and Bella.

"I thought we were here to help them crossover," Riley said after several minutes, gasping for breath. "Why are the victims coming after us?"

"They're scared. He has this power over them, at least they think he does." Bella leaned her head on Edward's shoulder, trying to catch her breath. "This is going to be harder than I thought. I had hoped to see a few at a time, help them crossover and move on to the next. He's not going to let them."

"Vicky," Edward said, grabbing Bella to look her in the eyes. "I know you aren't ready to let her go, but she's the answer we need."

"She could lead them," Bella whispered, tears filling her eyes. "If I can reach through to her, she could help me, help them." The others already knew that Bella's best friend was one of The Nightingale Killer's victim. Other than Riley and Jasper, they had no idea she was one of the spirits among them. It was too bad they had ordered James, Jane and Shelley from helping this time. Bella moved into position, everyone flanking her on each side, facing the disquieted victims. They all seemed at a loss, as if they were unsure and afraid.

The question was who were they afraid of more, Bella or Marcus Lexington?

"Vicky, can you hear me?" Flickering shapes paced between the house and the tree line, some more solid than others. The doctor, the strongest and most recent victim other than Vicky approached Bella with caution. Her hair was tied up in a bun, the lab coat she wore once was a crisp white, now looked gray and caked with blood.

"She's not with us," the spirit said, her voice carried along a cool breeze, whispering in their ears, as if she was standing right beside each of them. Several of the crew cursed, trying to find the owner of the voice. "He has her in the barn." A few of the other victims stepped closer, nodding in agreement. "He takes us all there, making us relive the horror of our deaths. Hoping that one day another victim would come on the property."

The doctor lifted up a bony looking hand, her skin appeared stretched too tight, and seemed ready to tear apart if she moved too fast. She pointed at Reya. "He wants her."

Bella closed her eyes and swayed. "He's forcing her to relive her murder."

"Yes," all the spirits whispered as one. "Help us! Help us!"

"With all of you here, he has more power. I need to send you away."

"I'm ready." The doctor nodded, but the other spirits hissed and disappeared, appearing near the entrance of the forest. "They are too scared, none of them know what's in store for them on the other side."

"And neither do I," Bella answered. "If I open a doorway, I can send you all to where you belong, but it has to be fast. The longer the door remains open increases the chance that something will come out of it. I can't promise you anything else."

The doctor nodded once again, gliding toward the other spirits to talk to them.

Edward tried to count how many of them they were, NK's victims all appeared to be wearing the same thing, scrubs and other than Vicky were all accounted for. Marcus Lexington had some power over them, but not enough, since he wasn't the one that killed them, his grandson had. It was the other spirits, his original victims, once buried on the property who remained under his control. They were still somewhere on the property.

"Lay your hand in mine," Bella whispered, her voice taking on a quality Edward heard in his own whenever he reviewed tapes. It sounded like another voice lay on top of hers, another frequency that the dead could hear. "Those that wish to leave now, can do so. Please, there isn't much time."

A scream broke the otherwise quiet surroundings; it was coming from the barn. Bella whimpered, swaying, and Edward had to hold her up. Was she witnessing her best friend's death in her mind?

"Please," she pleaded with the spirits. "It's time to go home." The doctor lay her hand on Bella's phased palm, and slowly, one by one, six others joined her, stepping into same place as the doctor. Edward watched in awe as spirits all appeared as one, becoming more solid. He heard the others behind him gasp and curse, the spirits finally becoming a clearer apparition to them.

"Thank you," they said, nodding one by one, the face morphing into each victim. "Thank you."

Bella nodded once, holding up her free hand, palm out. She seemed to vibrate, phasing in and out as a light so bright made them instinctively cover their eyes, turning away from the light. Edward managed a glance, there was a crack, a tear in the fabric of their world, the edges rough and jagged, the light spilling out from within it. It towered over Bella by at least three feet, leaning toward her as if it wanted to swallow her whole. His hand reached out, grabbing a fistful of her jacket, to keep her with him. She couldn't leave him.

One by one, the doctor and the other victims of The Nightingale Killer walked through the crack. The second the last passed through, the tear stitched itself so quickly, so forcefully, the energy rippled through the ground, throwing everyone off their feet. Edward rolled off his back and curled his body around Bella, just in case something had come through the doorway.

A roar of pure malevolence and violence filled the air, reverberating in their heads. They all cried out in pain, and Edward noticed a trickle of blood coming from Bella's ear as she screamed. He watched the others curl up in a fetal position, holding onto their heads as the sound continued to assault them. He whispered through the pain, his lips just a breath away from Bella's ear, "I love you."

And just as quickly as it started, the sound stopped. For now.

* * *

 **AN: That was part one, this investigation should conclude in the next chapter I hope to have ready next week. If there's any confusion, please ask questions, I'll do my best to answer. I know its a lot of information to process, I had to go over the entire story to make sure I had names and victims right before I finished this chapter. This fic won an first place award in the Fanatic Fanfics Multifandom Awards, for Best Horror Fic! Thanks to everyone that voted and helped with the awards. Love you!  
**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

* * *

"This is crazy," Jane hissed. Waiting on the sidelines at the end of the road that led to a psycho's property. She knew all about evil, but this thing was on a whole other level. "We should be there helping them."

"Edward and Bella have good reason for us to stay behind. You heard them, they're scared he'd get control of us. We could hurt them ourselves, or he could use our energy, only making him stronger." James floated nearby, but for a spirit, he looked ready to go out of his mind. "Look what happened to Vicky."

She had suddenly disappeared, and they had heard her screams minutes earlier, even from where they waited. It was killing James all over again, he was already attached to her. Jane didn't know what to think of it. She never felt anything more than a deep friendship with James and Edward, maybe it was fear that James could be hurt. As if he hadn't been through enough. Didn't help that she was the reason their lives turned upside down on that midnight road.

The confession she had avoided for years ate away with her with each passing day. The fear of the truth was what held Edward back, it shrouded him in doubt. It kept him from the rest of his living family, and she was the reason.

"I remember everything from that night, you know." James whispered words surprised her so much, she spun around so fast, everything blurred. "Edward doesn't remember, probably because the concussion, but I do."

How? She didn't understand how James could even look at her. "And you don't hate me?"

James shook his head. "You were scared, Jane. It was a terrible accident. I could never hate you, Jane."

She felt her emotions well up, making her voice crack. Hard to do for a ghost. "You died because of me." Shelly floated over to Jane, likely sensing she needed someone to hold her. The old woman had always been aware what she needed.

"Like I said, you were scared," James reasoned softly, his voice soothing in a way Jane rarely heard. "You had died after being buried alive, probably confused, it would send anyone running scared."

"I'm the reason you _died_." She was close to spelling it out for him. Didn't he get it? "Not only that, as if that's not enough reason to go to hell, the accident caused Edward to have this... He can hear the dead because of me."

"Honey." Shelly, lovingly curled some of Jane's hair away from her face. It always surprised Jane just how much she felt after death. The love she had for this woman always choked her up, she had to look away. "Edward had always been sensitive. I remember an incident at school when he was a child, not much older than six. He hid in the closet and refused to come out because the janitor scared him. Miles, the janitor, died the week before in a fire and hadn't been replaced yet. Meaning he had seen a ghost."

Jane looked up. "What?"

"It's true." James slipped his hands into the pockets of his worn jeans, looking away. "He thinks my parents don't know how bad it can get for him, but they do. Edward's dad had the same gift, too. But he tried to ignore them, and you know how that can go sometimes. They get angry."

Edward was like his father? Why didn't she know? Did Edward know? The freak accident that claimed his parents, she knew so little of it. Edward refused to discuss it. Was a spirit the cause? So many questions, but they hardly mattered. What did concern her was how Edward would react to her confession.

Jane hadn't been prepared for James to know, it scared her. "Why haven't you said anything?" She screamed, her eyes instantly going dark. "Five fucking years and you tell me now."

"Think about it, Jane." James stood up to her anger, some of it seeping out of her. "You ran out into the road, he saw you, and swerved to avoid hitting you. He thought you were alive. He didn't know any better. It took a while for me to figure it out."

She felt the darkness that threatened to pull her under slowly leak away. "Does he know?" Jane asked softly.

"I think deep down he does, but to him it would only make him feel worse about James. He'd still take the blame, claiming his gift led to all this." Shelly slipped an arm around Jane's tiny waist and tugged her closer. "It's the only reason we haven't said anything."

Jane looked miserable. "Bella knows."

"Of course she does," Shelly said with a laugh. "But she won't tell him, she knows it has to be you."

"He's going to hate me and himself." Jane's shoulders hunched forward, a strange ice cold filling her soul.

"He could never hate you." James joined Shelley and Jane in a hug.

They sprung apart when an unearthly roar seemed to explode toward them from the property. It held the usual scent of decay, but there something darker within the sound, seeping through them until they only remembered were their worst memories. It didn't last long, though to a human it seen like hours had passed. Something put an end to it, instantly warming them.

"They're going to need us." Shelley stated, rolling her shoulders and slipping the sleeves of her housecoat up her arms. "Let's go."

Jane let go of her worries, knowing she'd have to face them soon. For now, Edward and Bella needed them, even if they didn't know it.

* * *

The sudden stillness and the silence of the night seemed as supernatural as a wind carrying whispers from the dead. Everyone in the group stood up slowly, wary of the source of their torture. Edward had to yawn a few times for his ears to adjust, soon helping Bella to her feet. She moaned in pain as she stood and had to shake her head to dispel the ache from the strange attack.

"Was that him?" Reya looked toward the burial ground. If she sensed something, she didn't say. Edward was as drawn to the area as she seemed to be. Their gift or curse, depended on who you asked, would be drawn to so much supernatural energy.

"Yes," Bella whispered. She pulled her fingers away from her ear, the blood still wet, which she quickly wiped on her jeans. Her other hand clasped Edward's arm to stay upright. He wanted to put a stop to all of it, but he knew the spirits trapped there would haunt them until they helped or something worse.

Bella looked toward the dilapidated barn, shaking her head. "He's not happy. Marcus may not have had much control on his grandson's victims, but he was able to feed off them."

"Does that mean he's weak?" Jason asked, panning his camera toward the group. "If he is, we need to try to put a stop to him now before he recovers."

"He wasted a lot of energy with that damn scream." It was Jasper who informed them, appearing as hurt as everyone else.

Edward realized it was likely an act. If he had the ability to heal a broken neck in seconds, busted ear drums were nothing to him. Everything Jasper had ever said to him had been lies, the man was dating his cousin. What did that mean for Alice?

Jasper had everyone's attention. "But he still has the others to feed off of and they're his victims. His power comes from their fear."

"He's right." Bella turned away from Jasper and focused on Reya and Jason. "This is a lot to ask, but to lure him far enough away from his victims so I can help them…"

Bella didn't need to say the words, Reya knew exactly what she wanted. "I need to be alone."

Edward jumped in to clarify. "Reya, he's drawn to you, for whatever his reason you remind him of his victims." Jason, along with the rest of the paranormal crew protested, but from the look in Reya's eyes, she had already made her decision to become the bait.

"I can't allow that," Riley stated. For the first time since Edward met the detective, uncertainty and fear put an edge in his voice. "If something happens to her." He shook his head, looking away from Bella. "I can't let that happen."

Edward and Bella were the ones aware Riley had lost his sister years before. Did Reya remind him of her? Was that why he seemed protective of the young investigator? Anything was possible, but whatever was bothering the detective, it was clear he wouldn't back down.

"Then you can go with her," Bella suggested. Jason refused to leave his girlfriend alone, too. "The two of you can go to the house with her, but she needs to go into one of the rooms on her own."

"If something going to happens?" Jason looked nervous and though their team had seen and heard a lot through the years, this was different. They had never experienced such powerful physical attacks. "Where are you going to be?"

"I need Reya to draw him to the main house so that Edward and I can help the other spirits cross to the other side. If I can get even a handful of them to crossover, it'll help when it's my turn to face him."

"We, Bella." Edward slipped his fingers through hers, meeting her eyes. "We're going to face him together."

A silence seemed to come over the group as Edward and Bella silently communicated, but not with words. She had heard his declaration during the attack. Though she hadn't said the words yet, they were there in her dark eyes and the slight lift of her lips.

"What the fuck? Did we die or did you two step into toxic slime? You're glowing." Lawrence, part of the paranormal team, eyes were wide open.

Edward looked at his arm and saw nothing of what Lawrence described. It wasn't until he glanced at his hand intertwined with Bella's that he understood.

"Oh man," Jason whispered, adjusting the camera to focus on the couple. "The camera is picking up this shit."

Centered around Edward and Bella's clasped hands, a low glow seemed to emanate between them.

"The veil between planes is thinning here," Jasper stated. "I wouldn't be surprised if we all temporarily see more than usual." He looked confused, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Edward had no idea what to say, but there was no time to analyze the strange phenomenon and what they had learned about their past lives. But he felt ready for whatever was coming.

By the look on Bella's face, she agreed. "We're going to bring this asshole down."

A husky laugh started slow, crawled down the spines, like icy fingers of dread and despair. Bella gestured for everyone to come closer to her, whispering under breath as they moved. A small sound similar to wind blowing in a tunnel, seemed to surround them. A few of the others gasped, their voices echoing.

"It's a spell, so he can't hear us." Bella rubbed her hands together and cracked a small smile. "So this is what we're going to do."

* * *

Reya held a small flashlight up, illuminating the hallway leading to the living room. It wasn't enough light, and it seemed to cast shadows, she swore reached for her. Riley and Jason remained in the kitchen, but only after clearing it of any possible weapons. If the old man had the ability to manipulate earth as they claimed he had at the burial site, they wouldn't take any chances with rusty knives and utensils left behind. The same went for the room she slowly walked toward.

Bella had prepared her as best she could, but with so little time she hoped it would be enough. Reya stepped through the arched entrance, walking into the center of the room. Her anxiety betrayed her for a second, as she looked up at a recently added drawing on the ceiling.

The temperature was at a cool 62 degrees throughout the first floor, but it felt as if it was dropping. She rubbed her arms as the chill seeped through her hooded sweater, trying her best to ignore the cold. From inside her jacket, she pulled out a digital recorder to record the session and hopefully pick up some EVP. It wasn't the first time she had to venture alone during an investigation. She had to remember she'd done this before, though she had never seen the level of activity and collective apparitions.

She whispered under her breath the chant Bella made her memorize the moment she stepped under the spell drawn into the ceiling's plaster. The room was sparse, but the few shelves once filled with newspapers, books, and a single chair in the center of the room. The Lexington's had apparently been hoarders, it had taken a large crew to process and catalog everything inside the house.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she waited, and under normal circumstances, she'd provoke a spirit, not always a good thing to do. She would rather not in this case, but she had to if they had any hope of saving the victims trapped there.

In a moment of complete trust in Bella and Edward, she started to hum a song. The same one The Nightingale Killer played as he tortured his victims. Holding absolutely still, she continued into the second versus, falling into the chorus until she was nearly belting out the lyrics at the top of her lungs.

A noise from the right startled her, and her body started to tremble. She kept singing, the room chilling to the point her breath was clear in the air. Fear and the cold threatened to put a stop the song, but she held up her chin, refusing to give into the spirit's silent demands. A huff against her left ear sent her wayward hair in the air. She whimpered, her eyes scanned the room, but found no sign of an apparition or a hint of a moving shadow. Her flashlight swung from left to right, and she twisted enough to check behind her. The chair she stood in front of her, almost felt warm against her calf, but she chose to remain standing as she continued to sing.

Seeing nothing behind her, she turned and came face to face with a killer. She screamed, unable to help it, instinctively leaning away for his presence and the stench of death. Marcus, a mere shadow of the man he used to be, stood in front of her nearly nose to nose. His eyes a blue so pale they almost looked like shards of ice. It chilled her, sending a fresh round of fear through her.

He smirked, sensing her fear, likely feeding off it.

She had no doubt even in life he was an imposing figure. He stood at over six feet tall, his hair a mix of gray and a dark brown, but in death it had been dulled and appeared brittle. His eyebrows were dark gray, bushy slashes, almost meeting in the middle. A scar cut through the right corner of his mouth, adding to its cruel shape of his lips and sharp jaw.

The urge to scream for help churned her stomach. She wanted to run from this _thing_ that gave off such darkness, it nearly choked her. Dread emanated from him, almost cloaking her in a thick blanket of despair and desperation.

Almost.

A tiny twitch the figure's mouth indicated that Bella's spell was working, it was dampening his abilities. His eyes narrowed on Reya's face. It huffed, irritated that he couldn't truly reach her.

It was Reya's her turn to smile, a burst of hysterical laughter escaping.

Marcus gasped at the noise, shaking his head and taking several steps backwards. The spirit's movements were blindly fast, she almost lost the figure when it took refuge in a dark corner. She shined her flashlight toward it, starting up the song once again.

It held up a gnarled hand, his fingers as bony and wiry as the rest of his body, almost fragile. She knew first hand it was deceiving. "You look like her," he hissed, drawing the word until it tried to coil around her. "My wife, his daughter. You look like her."

A revelation was not something Reya was prepared for, her lyrics coming to an abrupt stop. Marcus cackled at his words put some of the pieces together. "You targeted women that looked like your wife. It was her you wished you could kill." Marcus cried out, a sound similar to nails on a chalkboard. "Why?"

Hunched over, he no longer appeared as threatening as before. He turned from the corner, meeting her eyes again no longer pale, but a stark black. "She killed them all, her father, and my twin brother among them."

"The man the police identified as you, was your brother?" Marcus growled, his eyes seemed to overfill with darkness, leaking out of the corners like smoke. Questions popped in quick succession in her mind, seeking answers that she had no doubt the others wanted. "If you didn't love her why run away with her?"

He stood up to his full height, his skin now a dull gray color that made him appear equally ill and grotesque. His black eyes seemed to glow, no, they looked like orbs of black fire. It was as if she lit a match, her words the kerosene.

Reya didn't see it move, Marcus was in the corner one second and in the next roaring in her face. "I loved her!" The ground shook beneath her, the empty shelves rattled against the walls. She was beyond grateful he had nothing to throw at her.

"I don't think so," she mocked, adding more fuel.

Marcus roared again, burning through the energy stored within his dark powers, expelling a sudden black burst toward her. She screamed, expecting it to hit her, but it slammed against the protection spell Bella created. Her hands grabbed hold of the chair to stop from falling, sitting and holding on as Bella instructed.

 _Stay on the chair, stay on the chair._

She watched in horror as Marcus moved through the room, trying to find something to break through the spell. Bella assured her that even if he found a way to do it, the chair would be another layer of protection. It was a very special chair, created especially for Bella.

No curtains or hardware hung at the four windows, but he glided toward one. He talked to himself, smiling over his shoulder at her.

"Oh no," she whispered. The safe word they agreed on for her to scream was on the tip of her tongue, but watching this thing rage and move about the room was too horrifying to look away. "The glass."

Marcus laughed, the sound of it icing her blood. If he managed to break the windows, he could send the fragments flying. The spell didn't work against physical attacks.

Edward and Bella did their best to prepare the room for such a possibility. "Please work, please work." Strips of sticky fly paper, coated in salt, lined the window. Edward had thought of this, having found a supply of it in the kitchen for when the authorities had gone through the house.

The second Marcus reached a window, his hands seemed to steam, a terrible cry of pain echoed around the room. He held his hands up, as if in agony, but it wasn't long before his pain turned to rage. His eyes snapped toward Reya, a guttural growl escaped his lips and he lunged toward her.

Reya held onto the arms of the chair, remembering what Bella had said. _"No matter what he does, stay on the chair. It will protect you even if he breaks through the spell."_

She kept her eyes open, refusing to miss a second of what was happening despite her fear. He continued to punch the spell with glowing fists. Every blow marking a change in his appearance, from small cracks in his skin, to his body slowly losing its shape. When he figured out coming at the spell with direct hits wasn't working, he focused his attention on the seal on the ceiling. She screamed as the third burst had bits of the ceiling coming down on her.

The malevolent spirit of Marcus Lexington laughed and continued the assault, soon breaking the seal that put a shield around her. He halted, his lips now a dark, crude slit in his gray skin. His arms fell to his sides, drawing her eyes to the fact that the lower portion of his spiritual body was mostly smoke. For some reason he was panting, as if he exerted himself, even though he didn't need to breathe. He leaned in close, enough that Reya felt the air cool further between them.

"I got you now." Gone were the features that made him appear human, now he was something out of her worst nightmares. Terror paralyzed her, but the warmth of the chair reminded her she wasn't alone. She looked down at her palms curled around the arms of the chair, the markings glowing underneath her. Bella and Edward would save her before it was too late. If not, she'd become another victim for Marcus Lexington.

Their plan would work. She felt it deep down, so she started to sing. His faced transformed to one of pure hate, his mouth now a gaping hole as it screamed again. Something else seemed to overpower his voice, coming from outside the house. Someone else was singing along with her, she didn't have to look to know it was the victims fighting to be released from his hold. Light streamed through the darkened windows, as the voices continued to rise.

Marcus was aware of his impending demise, he felt his strength waning. He couldn't let her live, this woman who dared to stand up against him. His hand rose to strike her, and felt his nails lengthen in preparation for it. He focused what was left of his will to kill the woman that bore a remarkable resemblance to his wife. The woman who forced him from a life he worked so hard to achieve, who gave him a son with no desire for blood. An unworthy heir, and he hated her, for being more formidable and cunning than her tyrant, blood-thirsty father.

Something stopped him from hurting the bitch, his arm frozen in the air. "Not going to happen."

A man with bronze hair, the one the brown-eyed witch was attached to, clenched his _transparent_ hand around his wrist. Confusion furrowed his brow, not understanding what was happening. A human was touching him, physically. It wasn't possible.

Desperate, he searched for another to steal energy from, but his call for the others went unanswered. The man and his wife's doppelganger were too protected to collect from, but he sensed another. Someone hiding in the fireplace, watching with glee at his destruction.

His granddaughter would be of no assistance, the betrayal from his own bloodline angering him further. He tore away from the strange man, and in a desperate attempt to save himself, to salvage whatever souls he could keep under his control, he flew toward the exit.

It was like if he'd been shot the moment he tried to pass through the threshold, falling back with such a force, it effected the two humans in the room. He watched as the man helped lift the enchanted chair still holding the woman up. Something else drew his attention, along the floor of the living room exit was a line of salt.

They had him trapped.

* * *

 **AN: They so got this, and don't worry, we'll see what Edward and Bella were doing while Reya distracted Marcus. Sorry for the late night update, my internet is shit during the day when everyone is awake.  
**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

* * *

After breaking up into groups, Bella and Edward walked toward the barn. The others remained just outside the main house in case Marcus decided to attack them. The plan to trap the old man's angry spirit centered on Bella's ability to reach out to the victims, but Reya's distraction in the house was imperative.

Jason and half of his team joined Reya in the house, standing by in case she needed assistance. Sometimes there was strength in numbers, and it was clear they were all willing to protect her. Along with the detective and Jasper, Edward believed she was in good hands.

Edward's sporadic empathetic abilities since the accident had always been something he tried to develop with little success. Now armed with the knowledge of his past lives, accessing his abilities seemed easier. He pushed away from the memories though, afraid of the pain he'd find within them. How could there not be any, considering the circumstances in those lives?

He wanted to explore his past with Bella, but at the moment he had to concentrate on a couple of angry spirits. Trying to focus on the practical part of his past lives seemed harder. He needed what he had learned over the last century and beyond. In every life, he had some form of psychic ability, from mind reading to telekinesis, though never more than one or two in one lifetime.

Bella, on the other hand, was able to bring every new ability into her next life, confirming his belief. She wasn't completely human.

"Focus, Edward." Bella's soft voice pulled him from the chaos in his mind. "I know we have a lot to discuss, but right now, I need all of _you,_ here."

"I know, I'm sorry." It wasn't easy to shut it all out, but he would. His life wasn't only his life in danger, Bella's and everyone on the property was at risk, too. "There's so damn much in my mind. The memories of our past lives are starting to blend together."

"I know, please let me help."

He nodded, giving her the access she needed.

Bella cradled his face in her hands, asking him to close his eyes. Her soft voice helped them through a breathing exercise before she eased into his mind. His blood heated, the warmth of her touching him in such a way, made him groan aloud. Her mental fingers skimmed the memories from the surface, efficiently locking them behind a door they created together. Her eyes opened at the same time as his, her pupils glowed. "Better?"

His mind was clearer, but he still had what he needed to help over the next couple of hours without getting lost in the memories. The knowledge to strengthen his abilities and provide help remained. The clarity of his vision was unlike anything he ever experienced. He could count the number of hairs in Bella's lashes, see every goose bump covering her forearm perfectly. Was this how she saw the world? Why were his human senses heightened now?

The answer would have to wait.

"Yes, let's go."

Bella pressed her lips to his, indulging for a mere moment, long enough to enrich his blood and hers. Her small matched his and grabbed a hold of his hands to shake the tension from their limbs.

"Ready?" she asked, and at his nod, she radioed the other group. "Reya, head into the main room."

It had taken over an hour to completely clear a few rooms of the dilapidated house to ensure the safety of everyone while inside of it. Too bad they didn't have the time or the manpower to do the same in the barn. According to Riley and Jasper, however, a crew had taken down all the sharp objects, but there were still a few items inside that could be used against them.

Jasper and Detective Riley were reluctant to agree, but in the end, until Bella or Edward gave the word, no one could join them once they're inside the barn. They had the ability to phase if something came flying toward them, the others did not.

It wasn't long before they learned their plan was going as expected. Reya was working on her end with her mere presence in the house, gaining the attention of Marcus. Hopefully, Reya would keep him focused on her to allow them to bring him down a few notches, and weakening him.

"He's here, over," Riley's voice squawked over the walkie-talkie.

Bella replied, hating the cumbersome way to communicate, or how she wasn't used to working with others. "We'll give Reya a few minutes before we go inside, we need to be sure she has his full attention." She realized she forgot the rules to talking on the radios and hissed, "Over."

Edward decided to take over the device and latched it onto his belt. They had to go radio silent for the next part, hoping it would help keep Marcus clueless of the plan. If he became too aggressive with Reya, the others would radio them for help. There was safety in numbers and three sensitives were better than one.

Years of neglect left the barn condemned, the dreary, worn red paint was chipped away on the rotting wood planks. The scene looming ahead could be something pulled from someone's nightmares and would visit Edward's for the next few weeks. The dark sky appeared to suck the light from their surroundings, adding a sense of foreboding. Instincts disguised as warning bells in Edward's head only added to his fear, but he pushed it back before it had a chance to consume him.

The only source of light was the glow of the artificial variety from the pair of flashlights Edward and Bella carried. The streams of light barely penetrated the blackness surrounding them. They could scarcely see more than a few feet ahead.

The slow, ominous creek of the barn door as it swung open echoed throughout the crumbling building. A gunshot would've been quieter, but the lack of warning or reaction from Marcus indicated Reya had his undivided attention.

Edward shared a look with Bella, each of them adjusting their special cameras mounted on their clothes. He double checked the sawed-off shotgun he carried, the salt-filled cartridges it shot would help them escape if the victims decided to hurt them. It was a distinct possibility for them to lash out, even Vicky, Bella's dead best friend. After being tortured and forced to relive the horror of her death, she could be lost to her horrific memories.

They weren't taking any chances.

Edward insisted on taking the lead, slipping between the doors with Bella on his heels. They opened their minds, but it was immediately apparent they had to shut out the worst of it. The onslaught of terror from the victims was too much to handle, even for them.

"Shit," Bella hissed, swaying along Edward's side, deeply affected. He grabbed a hold of her arm before her knees buckled. Touching her boosted his mental strength, too. They awaited the initial transition together, forcing the voices to become background noise. "We need to hurry."

Edward agreed and led the way to the center of the barn. His flashlight swung right and left, settling on a huge tractor with flat tires, but thankfully the attachments were long gone. He'd seen a few horror movies and tractors were never a good thing in them.

The loft above them had a rotted-away-hole a few feet wide, giving them a view of the rafters and ceiling. Old wood creaked and groaned around them, the wind blowing through the slants and cracks, howling an eerie tune. Thick spider webs held strong against the breeze in every corner, but they had long since been abandoned. It seemed even insects and spiders knew to stay away from the area.

"Bella." Edward felt Bella's hand go slack in his. His flashlight had little impact on the darkness, but he pointed it at her, to find her eyes wide open, but an eerie pale blue film covered them as if she was blind. Cursing, he turned on his headlamp, dropped his flashlight and grabbed her arms. He hissed, but had to ignore the sting from her ice-cold skin. "Bella!"

Worried she was too cold, he held her close, for a moment her body seemed to melt against his own. Then her height started to surpass his own, his gaze eyes dipped down for a moment, long enough to see she was floating. He tried hard not to react in any way to show how freaked out he felt; his fear could be used against him.

Instead, he chose to meet her eyes, but they weren't hers. They were the old woman's, wife to Marcus, daughter to a notoriously evil man who once led a powerful mafia family. The same woman that killed her own father so she could run away with her lover. For decades she had encouraged the dark desires in Marcus and her grandson Caius, to become serial killers.

She was as dangerous as Marcus.

Bella's body was ripped out of Edward's arms, lifting high above him.

"No! Bella! Come back, baby! Wake up! Snap the fuck out of it!" He jumped up to try to capture her foot, latch on to a part of her to keep her grounded.

"You will not take him from me!" Bella screamed, but her voice was no longer her own. She sounded nothing like herself. Her lips were colorless, blending into her pale white skin. It made her hair appear ten times darker.

Why was this happening? She had once told Edward she was immune to possession, but a spirit's influence was always a possibility if she was too open. It was something she warned him about, too. Too open to the spirits and they could take advantage of a person, with everything they had learned in the last twenty-four hours, she was too vulnerable.

"She took my boy, my precious Caius, he would have been a legend if it wasn't for her!" Bella screamed, her mouth wide open in terror.

Her body hung midair as if she was held up by an invisible hand, she swung around like a rag doll, shaking in its grasp. Before she was too far up, Edward managed to grab her foot to keep her anchored to him. His voice was raw as he called out to her, but he was desperate to reach through to Bella before the old woman harmed her.

He searched his surroundings, unable to pinpoint the source of influence. Everywhere he turned there was a victim's spirit, but not the old woman. Each spirit looked the same, washed of color, under some trance, and their features were indistinct. He couldn't tell one from the other. "Where are you, bitch?"

"Edward," Bella whispered, her own eyes blinking into focus, but she gasped and fell under the influence of a spirit again.

A victim only a few feet away fell to her knees, gasping as if she needed to breathe. The grayish color of her skin seemed to warm and color before him, her hair turning to a fiery red – Vicky.

Edward didn't dare leave Bella, fighting to keep his hand wrapped around her ankle. "Help me, Vicky," he murmured, watching as the other victims started to slowly come out of the trance holding them captive. "Help us, please."

Vicky closed her eyes, whispering something he couldn't hear, but the impact of her words seemed profound as the other victims started to join her. It wasn't long before he realized they were singing the song Marcus and Caius had played as they killed their victims, killed _them_.

They were retaliating, and the old woman's influence on Bella started to weaken. Edward gently pulled on her leg, calling out her name, anything to help bring her back to him and lend her his strength. The moment he had her fully in her arms, she screamed in agony, but her eyes were once again her own.

"Come here, Giana!" Bella's lip curled into a snarl, turning his hold to face forward. "Stay close," she whispered to him. The victims continued to sing, encouraged by Bella as she joined every other verse while they searched for the spirit in question. "I have a message for you from your father."

A dark corner to their right admitted the highest concentration of malevolence, Giana Valentine aka Athena Lexington appeared, looking much younger and nothing like the old woman they'd seen on a few occasions. Her hair instead of a shocking white was black, so dark it was indistinguishable against the blackness closing in on them.

"Giana," the spirit whispered, a cruel smile on her blood red lips. "I haven't heard that name in years. It will not be long before everyone knows it, our names, mine, Caius, and my husband, we will be revered by countless others."

"The family that kills together, dies together." Bella inched closer to the malevolent spirit.

Giana threw her head back, laughing at Bella's words. The sound sending icy fingers of dread across their skin. Her dark hair flew around her, each tendril aware and capable of inflicting pain.

Edward grabbed a hold of Bella's belt along the small of her back, keeping her tethered to him. Just in case.

"Is that what you think, child?" Giana walked toward the right, but Bella was there to stop her with a satisfied smile on her lips. The spirit quirked a slim brow. "What do you think you can do to me?"

"She can send you to hell," Vicky hissed suddenly, in Giana's face for an instant and in next continued the song with the others. The spirits of the victims closed in behind Edward, and for the first time, Giana was afraid.

"Edward," Bella whispered, holding out her hand for his. He squeezed it and knew exactly what needed to happen next, communicated through the connection by Bella.

Together, along with the victims, they walked toward Giana who cowered near the wall. Bella's voice carried over the song, an undercurrent of power behind every word. "Giana, there are others waiting for you. Your precious grandson, your father, and soon Marcus will join you."

Giana screamed, her mouth gaping wide open, and gone was the once youthful appearance. She rapidly aged before them, deep folds, dark spots, and wrinkles took over her smooth, alabaster skin. Her age-spotted hands were tipped with black claw-like nails, razor sharp and deadly. She could hurt someone despite her true form with enough energy.

Once Giana's transformation was complete she lunged, sending everyone, human, and spirit, a few steps back in instinctual fear. Her claw-like fingers dug into Bella's arms, forcing her to scream.

Edward wrapped his arm around Bella's waist, ripping Giana's hands away. Once Bella was safe, he swung around shot the bitch in the face with the rock-salt-filled shells.

Giana screamed, holding her face together, her screech nearly bringing Edward to his knees. It reverberated in his head, made him nauseous. She disappeared in a cloud of black smoke, only to appear in the loft above them.

Edward shot again, helping Bella up and following her into the center of the barn where the other spirits waited.

"Vicky," Bella whispered to her friend, keeping an eye on the malevolent spirit. "Take the others outside, sing, all of you need to sing. It will weaken him, enough for us to send him to hell. Giana is ours to handle."

Vicky shook her head. "I can't leave you now, Bella!"

"Go, Vicky," Edward insisted, offering a smile. "We got this."

Bella looked at her friend, but couldn't smile. "You can't be here for this part."

Edward knew it was dangerous for spirits to be nearby as hell essentially opened up to swallow souls. Vicky and the others seemed to understand, each leaving until they were alone with the old woman. Giana's terror was evident, using all her energy in scare tactics. Her voice seemed to come from every direction, as she frantically searched for a way out of the barn. There was none, Bella had already erected a spell to prevent her from escaping the confines of the building the moment the others were free.

"You ready?" she asked Edward, holding out her hand for his again. He would always be there to take it, in this life and the next.

"I've never done this before." Edward searched his past lives, and he had only witnessed Bella do it. "But I'm ready."

"This is going to hurt a little," she whispered, starting to phase. "Hold on to me."

"Always."

Giana took advantage of their distraction, flying toward them. Edward stepped partially in front of Bella, grabbed Giana by the throat before she could reach her. His hand was as transparent as her spiritual form and just as strong. She screamed in terror, her mouth a gaping black hole.

"Now, Bella!" Edward winced as Giana's hands scratched at his arm, leaving bloody scratches, forcing him to phase it. Bella held out her arms, her palms up, chanting out loud. Each hand started to drip blood, while he held onto to her jacket with his other hand.

The language in which Bella's spoke wasn't familiar to him, but the words sent fear throughout him. The darkness surrounding them grew blacker, almost blinding them. Edward could barely see her, but he heard Bella continue the spell. The ground shook below his feet, the unstable structure of the barn creaked under the strain.

Giana screamed, her black eyes darting to every corner, searching for her salvation. She would find none, her granddaughter hid outside, waiting for the inevitable, no longer under the influence of her evil grandparents. Her husband was mercifully occupied at the moment by their ally Reya.

Edward hissed as the spirit renewed her efforts to break free. "For all the lives you've taken and for the families, you helped break, you are to suffer for eternity in hell."

Giana cackled, laughing in his face, her skin rotting away before his eyes. "I'll take her with me."

Before Edward could react to the threat, Giana used the shotgun strapped to his belt to shoot herself, forcing her to disappear like before.

"Fuck!" He kept his other hand on Bella, refusing to let her go. "I lost her."

"She's too late," Bella whispered. Edward wrapped his arm around her side, pleased she was once again corporeal. "Look."

Near her feet, a hole started to form, the edges of it were a fiery red, burning and moving faster than either of them expected. The scent of brimstone was sour enough to make them gag and choke. Fearful of falling inside, they stepped back. It wasn't long before the gateway grew a few feet wide. Horrific screams and groans seemed to echo within the deep chasm, and all too soon, arms of various stages of rot reached out, longer than humanly possible.

A truly gruesome sight.

Bella stumbled against him, a look of horror on her face.

"What is it?"

"Can't you hear them?" she whispered, turning and reaching for him. "The suffering, the pain, oh God the pain."

Edward held her close as the arms reached their target. Near the barn doors, the gruesome restraints dragged Giana across the sparsely hay covered ground, her claws leaving behind deep ridges in the hard dirt. Screaming and twisting, she tried to escape their grasp, but she didn't have the power to fight hell.

Giana's hand latched onto Bella's ankle as she passed, sending her crashing to the ground. Edward scrambled for her, grabbing a hold of one of her wrists as the rest of her body dangled at hell's edge. Giana continued to laugh, crawling up Bella's body, an eye now missing. "She's mine! I'm riding her to hell, boy!"

"Fuck you," Edward hissed, and then used his connection to Bella. She nodded at his idea, telling him it would work. He yanked a pouch of salt from his belt with his free hand, just as Bella phased. He threw it at her face, hating the pain filled scream as she dissipated in a puff of white smoke.

Giana screamed as she fell, the horrid hands reaching for her as she dropped further into hell.

Edward crawled away as the hole started to close in on itself, taking with it his fear. Only for it to be replaced for a different kind; fear of losing Bella. Her soft groan had him crawling toward her, her body shaking when he reached her.

She looked at him, her glowing iridescent eyes turning to a warm brown. "We need to go help Reya."

"I got you," he said, pulling her up into his arms and carrying her toward the house. The moment they stepped inside, they knew they had to help Reya before Marcus acted on his desperate need to destroy her.

"Put me down," Bella whispered. "Go, hurry."

Jasper and Riley helped keep Bella upright as Edward ran toward the living room where Marcus was ready to strike Reya. Marcus wanted one more kill before he joined his wife in hell.

Edward stepped over the line of salt along the doorway and moved quickly toward Marcus, who loomed over Reya. He ignored the pins and needles he felt at the strange phenomenon and allowed his arm to phase. He grabbed a hold of the asshole before it was too late.

The satisfaction of seeing true fear in the eyes of a killer made Edward smile. They had Marcus trapped, and it was time to send him to hell, too.


	26. Chapter 26

**AN: The top portion is italicized since it's from the end of Chapter 24, we backtracked in the last chapter to see what was happening in the barn with Bella and Edward while Reya distracted Marcus.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Six**

 _A man with bronze hair, the one the brown-eyed witch was attached to, clenched his transparent hand around his wrist. Confusion furrowed his brow, not understanding what was happening. A human was touching him, physically. It wasn't possible._

 _Desperate, he searched for another source to steal energy from, but his call for the others went unanswered. The man and his wife's doppelganger were too protected to collect from, but he sensed another. Someone hiding in the fireplace, watching with glee at his impending destruction._

 _His granddaughter would be of no assistance, the betrayal from his own bloodline angering him further. He tore away from the strange man, and in a desperate attempt to save himself, to salvage whatever souls he could keep under his control, he flew toward the exit._

 _It was like if he'd been shot the moment he tried to pass through the threshold, falling back with such a force, it affected the two humans in the room. He watched as the man helped lift the enchanted chair still holding the woman up. Something else drew his attention, along the floor of the living room exit was a line of salted tape._

 _They had him trapped._

Edward held onto Marcus as the old bastard cackled, his fingers resembling claws. They had no effect on Edward's phased arm. He couldn't help but smirk. A hundred years earlier, in another life, he had the ability to phase like Bella. His memories now intact, he remembered how to harness the gift, but couldn't hold it for long.

Edward felt Marcus trying to drain the energy he needed from his surroundings. His fingers started to flicker from transparent to flesh and it was not a comfortable feeling. Sensing Bella's presence, Edward looked back to see her leaning against the doorway. She was nowhere close to full strength yet, but together they could send the bastard to hell. With a nod, she told him she was ready. "Now, Reya!"

Reya started to chant a spell, sending the chair she sat on flying across the room to the safety of a second seal. Safe for the moment, Reya watched Edward and Bella in complete fascination. She had never seen anything like them.

Bella stalked further into the room, radiating a power that was almost predatory. Something that commanded attention, respect, and a healthy dose of fear. Edward dropped his hold on the ghost's form as she approached, his hand opening and closing into a fist as if he was in pain. If he was, his distress wasn't visible on his face. He looked almost at ease for the first time since they met. Reya wasn't sure what happened, but she sensed a change within the couple. Edward's transformation made him almost equal in power to Bella, almost.

They circled Marcus, not too close, but enough for him to cower away from them. He was a mere shadow of himself, skin hanging off his bones, eyes so sunken in, Reya believed there was nothing left but the darkness that came over them earlier.

"You've depleted your energy," Bella hissed, stepping toward him. Marcus tried to lunge away, fearing her. For some reason, Reya believed he had every reason to be afraid. "You've used up all your energy."

"Got more," he growled, reaching for Edward. Before he could put his hands on him, Marcus hissed and backed away, as if Edward was enclosed in a protection spell, too. "I'll swallow their souls' whole."

"I don't think so." Edward stepped closer, his hand reaching for the ghost's throat, but Marcus flew out of reach at the last moment. "There's nowhere to run."

"There's always a way out," Marcus spat. A hum, soft and almost childlike floated across the room from the direction of the fireplace. "Heidi, girl you come help your grandfather."

" _I'm searching for the thing to make me whole inside of you,"_ Heidi sang softly. She remained unseen, but her voice filled the room. Bella shared a look with Edward, shaking her head. It was the song Marcus played to his victims, the same song they were singing outside. "Time for you to go, Grandfather."

Marcus didn't seem to like the defiance in Heidi's voice, his form losing shape and he became nothing more than a black mist. The room rumbled, glass rattling in their frames, the wood floorboards lifted beneath their feet.

Edward grabbed a hold of Bella, keeping her upright.

"Fuck, they're fighting all around us." Heidi was finally standing up to her grandfather.

Bella called out for Jason for help, Reya watched helplessly as her boyfriend ran into the room. He was unprepared to see the chaos with his own eyes; a television screen could not compare to the real thing. Jason stood immobile until Marcus suddenly reappeared right in front of him, from a shapeless black fog to something much more real. The ghost appeared as a rotting corpse, his jaw hanging on by the sinew of his cheeks.

Marcus roared in Jason's face. Reya screamed, hoping the amulet Bella gave Jason would protect him long enough to do what he set out to do, be a distraction.

Riley managed to enter the room unseen by the ghost, grabbing Reya and tossing her over his shoulder. They made it to the door before Marcus realized he'd been fooled again.

Jason had stood his ground, not backing down even when facing evil. He smirked, only angering Marcus further, he swung a bony fist toward him, and though the amulet took the brunt of the hit, it sent Jason off his feet.

"Get out of here, Jason!" Bella screamed. Marcus took the form of a shadow again, circling the room, his mass increasing in size and taking up half the room.

Edward helped Jason to his feet, but his ankle had twisted on his way down. Reya watched from the hallway, reaching her hand out for Jason and Edward. Everyone praying they'd reach safety in time.

Riley's hand latched around Jason's arm, pulling with all his strength, but it was little use. It was like trying to pull someone out of quicksand. The harder they tried, the deeper Jason sank in the darkening room.

"Bella!" Edward called out. His feet felt like lead weights, his knees nearly buckling under the pressure in his limbs. He had no idea where the asshole got the energy to hold them inside. He had to get Jason out of the room before opening a gateway to hell. "He's not letting Jason out of the room!"

" _On three,"_ she whispered through Edward's thoughts. He shivered, the intimacy of sharing thoughts was unlike anything he ever felt. Something he'd make sure they had a chance to explore soon, but it was _not_ the time.

Edward repeated Bella's words for Reya and Riley, each of had a hold on Jason. He counted down and the moment he said 'three' Bella sent a wave of energy toward them, sending Jason _and_ Edward tumbling into the hallway and into the others.

"No, no, no!" Edward crawled toward the doorway, the force keeping him out of the room was too strong for him. "Bella!" He watched helplessly as the shadow started to grow, circling her in a sort of tornado of darkness and misery. The asshole's face formed long enough in the shadow for Edward to realize something was wrong.

Marcus was harnessing energy, but from where? Bella once said that sometimes a spirit could drain a living thing, a human, the same way they harness power from other ghosts.

If the darkness inside Bella had nowhere to go and it remained stored inside her, could it be something Marcus was tapping into? Was Bella Marcus's new, seemingly limitless source of energy. She screamed as she cut her palm with the small knife in her hand, she chanted over and over, sending Marcus scrambling to find another form. He resembled something more demonic than man, with arms and legs too thin and long to be human, over seven feet tall. It crawled like a creature of the deepest oceans, across the floor as far from Bella as possible, still trapped within the room.

The force keeping Edward from the room weakened, as hell started to open near Bella's feet. He kept pushing through, screaming at her.

" _I'm sorry,"_ she whispered in his mind again. "I love you."

She phased partially, gliding toward Marcus, capturing his writhing form in her arms, and pulling him into the gaping hole in the center of the room. Edward realized what she was doing, she was willing to sacrifice herself to put an end to the victims' torment.

"Bella! No!" As the last of the force fell away, he tore away the salted fly tape, running toward her. Riley and the others screamed at him, but he couldn't afford a distraction. He grabbed Bella by the hair, nearly yanking her back as dark, thin arms from hell latched onto Marcus. "Let him go, baby. They got him."

"I'm not your baby!" Bella screamed, but her voice was way off.

"It's Heidi," Reya screamed at Edward, watching from the hallway, Jason keeping her with him. "She's influencing Bella."

Edward nodded, holding onto Bella, whispering in her ear. "Come back to me, Bella. Please, please, please." She screamed in pain, as Marcus held onto her legs to keep from descending into the pit. Between Edward pulling her against him and the arms from hell holding onto Marcus, she was literally being pulled in two different directions. If it didn't stop soon, they'd break her.

He felt the heat of the pit, the red-hot glow nearly blinded him as he wrapped his arms around Bella partially corporeal body. His chest tight against her back, their hearts nearly level, his soft words in her ear. "If you're going to hell, I'm going with you."

"No!" she screamed, her body thrashing within his arms. "Help me!"

Who was asking for help? Bella or Heidi? He heard the others screaming, he had no doubt what they were witnessing would send fear through them. Those arms, the sounds coming from hell would undoubtedly visit them in their sleep for months to come.

It wasn't long before Edward realized they weren't screaming because of the gateway to hell, or that a dozen arms were reaching out for souls to snatch. They reacted to the spirits entering the room, each of them glowed an ethereal golden white light, the remaining victims were fighting back. They circled Edward, each placing a hand on his back, giving him the strength he needed to pull Bella away from hell.

Marcus hung onto the edge with only the tips of his fingers, horror-stricken. Edward realized for the first time, Marcus felt true fear, something his victims knew a lot about because of him. With the last twist of his lips, he glared at Edward. "I'll meet you in hell, boy!"

Then he was gone, as he let go and fell back into the fold of a thousand arms, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Edward and Bella were tossed away as the hole closed with the speed of a bullet. The force of it sending them tumbling in opposite directions. Edward's head struck the wall, his vision blackening for several seconds. A trickle of blood was warm on his cool skin.

"Bella?" he called out.

He opened his eyes in time to see her surrounded by the victims, each whispering something to her and disappearing in a flash of warm light.

Riley was there in front of Edward, helping him to his feet. Whatever Riley was saying to him, it fell away, too distracted by what he was witnessing. In all his time sending spirits packing, he had never seen them crossing over like this. The warmth of the light they radiated seemed to cleanse his soul, making all his worries float away.

As the last of the souls disappeared, he recounted them in his head. There were still two spirits missing. Bella's best friend Vicky, and Heidi.

Bella stood shakily on her feet, offering a soft, "I'm okay."

He couldn't be sure. "Heidi?"

"It's me, Edward. I swear. She's gone, she was willing to sacrifice me to send her grandfather to hell, but not herself."

Jason groaned. "Sounds like she's more like her family than she realized."

Bella sighed, nodding. "She'll be a problem, but not for a while. We'll have to do a follow up in a few weeks, see if I can get her to crossover then."

"She tried to kill you, Bella," Edward reasoned, pulling her into his arms. "If you must do it the hard way, do it. We can't have her deciding she likes hurting people." She looked up at him and agreed.

"Look at this place," Jasper said, walking into the room and joining them. Keeping his voice low, not wanting the others to hear their conversation. "Where did he get all that energy from?"

"Some from Heidi, some from me," Bella whispered, shrugging. "Edward and I need to do some experimenting. He can keep the darkness inside from surfacing, but I think it's obvious it's temporary or like a Band-Aid."

"Are all of them gone?" Riley asked, scratching his head. The poor man looked around the room in complete awe, a little fear, too. The ends of a few dozen floorboards were twisted and gnarled into strange shapes. The walls were stripped of plaster, even exposed wires hung like thin streamers, ripped from the walls and ceiling. "Not sure how I'm going to explain this."

"How about the truth?" Jason said, rolling his eyes. "This is why I hate working with cops, even with all the evidence, everything you've seen, you'd cover all this up to protect your precious career."

Edward wanted to intervene, but Bella swayed, going limp in his arms. "I'm okay," she lied, her eyes struggling to remain open.

"I suggest you all settle this later," Edward said, lifting Bella into his arms. She didn't even protest, resting her head against his shoulder. "I'm taking Bella home, we'll meet in few days to go over the videos and reports. Until then, have Jasper give you instructions to make sure you're clean and don't have a spirit riding you."

Reya looked at Jason. "He's right, we shouldn't linger considering Heidi is still out there. She could latch onto any one of us."

Jason didn't need to be told twice, he grabbed Reya's hand, using his walkie to tell his crew to turn on the lights and pack it all up.

Edward headed outside and walked toward the truck, knowing Jasper was right behind him. "I can't deal with you right now." He couldn't even look at him, he was still too angry.

"We need to talk."

"No shit," Edward hissed after carefully placing Bella inside the truck. "You think I don't know that. You knew who I was from the moment we met, knew what I was capable of for years. You've known that Bella and I are destined to die at any moment. Don't get me started on the fact that you're keeping one hell of a secret from my cousin. Alice doesn't deserve your lies."

"She knows I'm different."

"Different is like Alice, or me, but we're not fucking immortal. What does that even mean for Alice?"

Jasper didn't get to answer, as Bella moaned in the truck, her head falling against the window. She shifted enough for Edward to notice the blood in her hair. "Fuck, I got to get her looked at and cleaned up."

"She'll be too weak to use her powers to heal, get her stitched up, and some food for you both. You're going to feel like utter shit tomorrow, like a hangover, only much worse."

Edward nodded. "Give us a few days, you can come over then, but only because we need answers."

Jasper nodded.

"And you need to tell Alice, because if you don't, I will." He left Jasper behind in a cloud of dust, wanting nothing more than to crawl into a bed with Bella beside him and hide away for weeks.

It was exactly what he intended to do once his uncle Carlisle checked on Bella. Once she was safe, and on the mend, he would put whatever protection spells he had stored in his memories to make sure they weren't disturbed for a few days, _at least_.

Maybe a week or two.


	27. Chapter 27

**AN: Your eyes are not deceiving you. This an update.**

 **In the last chapter Edward and Bella helped send Marcus, the ghost of a serial killer get a one-way ticket to hell. His victims, along with his grandson's (Causis was also a serial killer Bella stopped before Edward entered her life) crossed over. We've found out Jasper, a friend of Edward who is dating his cousin Alice was immortal and had known all along who and what Edward was. After defeating Marcus and his crazy dead wife, the group, and detective are ready to leave, but need to be careful because Heidi's spirit refused to crossover. She's granddaughter to Marcus and Giana. Edward carried an exhausted and injured Bella to his truck, heading to see his uncle for medical help. He also told Jasper he wasn't ready to talk to him about everything he kept from him, and threatened to tell Alice the truth about him if he didn't do it first.**

* * *

 **The Haunting of Bella Swan**

 **Chapter Twenty-Seven**

* * *

Edward raced toward his uncle and aunt's home, miles outside of the city. The sound of Bella's shallow breathing kept him from freaking out and focusing instead on getting her the help she needed.

Hospitals would prove more dangerous and urgent care centers would ask too many questions before they even helped her. The logical choice was his uncle, but he needed to warn him.

He dialed up the number, putting his cell phone on speaker to keep his attention on the road and the woman beside him. "Bella, talk to me, love."

Her eyes remained closed, but a soft moan indicated she was still there with him. It was clear she was drained from the experience on the Lexington property. How much it affected her health he wasn't sure but needed to get some food and fluids in her.

"Hello?" someone answered, though it didn't sound like his uncle. The woman on it the phone was not his aunt either.

"Carlisle?" Had he dialed the wrong number?

"He's unavailable at the moment. Can I take a message?" Since when had his uncle had an assistant answering his personal cell phone and at two in the morning?

"No, you cannot take a message. This is his nephew Edward, put him on the line now." He wasn't going to beat around the bush, Bella was in trouble.

There was a muffled conversation before his uncle came to the phone. "Edward, this isn't a good time. Can it wait until morning?"

"I'm not sure, considering that wasn't my aunt answering the phone." The accusation dripped from the venom in his voice, he'd known things between them hadn't been the best since James died, but for his uncle to cheat…it was unthinkable.

"It's not what you think," Edward heard his uncle sigh. "What is it?"

"A friend of mine has been hurt—"

"Take her to the hospital, son."

Edward gritted his teeth at the interruption. "A hospital is out of the question."

"If something is wrong with this person…"

"We can't go to a hospital right now!" Edward was panting in anger, his vision clouding on the fringes.

"I don't understand…"

"We see dead people, all right!" Edward felt his own exhaustion with every mile. He should've had someone drive them. "It would make us feel worse."

"What's your ETA?" was his uncle's immediate response.

"Five minutes."

.

.

.

Bella groaned, the splitting headaches made her mouth water…not in a good way. "Edward," she murmured, reaching for him. Had they drunk themselves into a numb stupor the night before? The room seemed to move, not helping the churning in her stomach. "Edward." Having no answer from him, she opened one of her eyes with caution, then the other snapped open.

Everything that happened in the last twenty-four hours flashed before her eyes, as a large tree loomed ahead and they were heading straight for it.

She grabbed the wheel, pushing it away from her and screaming as bright headlights blinded her. The sound of someone honking at them followed and passed them. The truck was barreling down the road at full speed. Edward was unconscious and his big foot lay on the gas pedal. She yanked the steering wheel back toward her and managed to get to the right side of the road. Keeping her gaze on the road, ignoring the pain in her head, she shook Edward hard.

He groaned.

She cried out in relief. He was alive.

"Wake up, baby!" she hissed, pressing buttons on his dashboard to turn up the radio. Anything to get him to wake the fuck up before she lost control again.

Justin Bieber blasted through the old speakers, instantly waking up Edward. "What the fuck is this shit!" His hands grabbed a hold of the steering wheel, confusion etched across his handsome face. "What's going on?"

"You fell asleep or passed out," Bella said, sitting back in her seat, her chest hurt from nearly going into a panic attack. "We almost hit a tree, good job, babe." She tried to put some levity in her voice, but it didn't sound too convincing.

Edward's brow furrowed, and hand rubbed hard over his face. He looked at her and away, his mouth opening and closing a few times. "Uh, who are you and what are you doing in my truck? And where are we going?" He quickly snapped off the stereo, ending the excessively loud torture.

Edward felt a little bad at the horror-filled look on her face, but this was how they worked. Laugh it up when times are tough, though he may have gone too far.

She slapped his shoulder several times, having read that he was joking in his eyes. "I can't believe you made me think you forgot all about me for a few seconds."

"Sorry, stop slapping me, woman, I'm driving." He grinned when she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, glaring out the windshield. "At least that near-death experience snapped us out of it. What the hell was that?"

"My mind needed a reboot, what's your excuse?"

Edward saw the way her lips twitched as if she wanted to smile. They were so fucking weird, to go through everything they'd been through, to teasing each other about natural reactions to their exhaustion. It was easier to laugh than to focus on how awful they felt. Every inch of his skin felt too tight, his bones hurt, his muscles seemed useless. He had all the flu symptoms, minus the stuffy/runny nose, but about twenty times worse.

Bella lay her head on his shoulder. "You're really weird."

Edward looked at Bella as he pulled into his uncle's neighborhood. "Right back at you, babe." She smiled but winced, it probably hurt. He sure didn't like the pain radiating down the arm he phased several times in the last couple of hours. If it was that bad for him, he can't imagine Bella feeling any better since she had phased her entire body at least once.

She even dissipated into _nothing_ for a few seconds.

That would haunt him for a while.

"I'm bleeding," Bella moaned, holding her head. "My healing ability is not working."

"Jasper warned me that you'd be too drained to heal as usual."

Bella's eyes widened at the large house Edward stopped in front of, her mouth dropping open. "Uh, this is bigger than Tanya and Alec's and Kate and Garrett's place combined."

"In this life, my family is loaded."

She looked confused as fuck, considering he sure didn't look like he came from money. If it wasn't for the blood dripping down her forehead, Edward would take the time to answer her unspoken questions.

"Later?"

She nodded in response, waiting for him to come around the truck to help her out. He had her arm wrapped around his shoulders when he heard his aunt and uncle running toward them. There was an unfamiliar car in the driveway, Edward and Bella didn't need an audience.

"Whoever your guests are, they need to go." Edward stared his uncle, who avoided his eyes.

Carlisle nodded. "They're packing up as we speak, let's get you two inside."

Bella managed to lift her head from Edward's shoulder, her eyes fluttering closed from the intrusion of light as they entered the house. That shit hurt her head more. "Packing?"

Edward watched as two men and a woman stepped out of the living room, one of them holding up a large video camera.

"What the hell is going on here?" he asked, putting his hand over the lens. "Get that shit out of our faces."

They tried to protest, but Carlisle shook his head at them. "Not now Renata."

"Well, I know we haven't talked in a while, Edward." Esme fidgeted as she led them to the dining room where his uncle set up a mini-triage center. He lay Bella on the table, grateful his aunt brought something soft for Bella's head. "Your uncle and I think the house is haunted and they're here to help."

Bella started to giggle, then laugh so hard tears sprung to her eyes. "You've got to be shitting me."

Carlisle and Esme looked at Edward for answers, having no idea who Bella was yet. He rubbed the back of his neck and grimaced as she continued to chuckle. "Meet my girlfriend Bella."

Bella smiled widely, attempting to hold out her hand, but her arm fell limply to her side. She pouted. "Hi, I'm the asshole that's probably going to get your nephew killed unless I put a stop to a curse." She held up a finger, grabbed the edge of the table and vomited at their feet.

Edward groaned as his uncle and aunt's guests entered the room. He helped to keep Bella from falling off the table, holding her hair back.

Perfect first impression.

* * *

 **AN: I'll try to update something again this week, if not early next week. Thanksgiving and shopping is ahead for me *sobs***


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